The problem of power is one of the central topics of political science and has always aroused increased interest, both from representatives of the scientific community and the subjects of power themselves. Of particular value are those cases where existing politicians themselves are trying to scientifically understand what the essence of power is, what its capabilities (limits) are and what it should be. In this sense, the scientific heritage of E. M. Primakov is important not only for general political science, but also is of great interest for disciplines such as elitology, geopolitics, and international relations. This paper analyzes his understanding of the essence of the category of “power” in the context of Russia's foreign and domestic policy in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This work examines in detail various aspects of the category of “power”, which runs like a red thread through all the works of E. M. Primakov. Power itself is the most important feature of the political elite, and Yevgeny Maksimovich constantly focuses his reader's attention on this matter. He especially highlights such a variable of political power as the alignment of forces within the elite at a specific historical moment.

The problem of power is one of the central topics of political science and has always aroused increased interest, both from representatives of the scientific community and the subjects of power themselves. Of particular value are those cases where existing politicians themselves are trying to scientifically understand what the essence of power is, what its capabilities (limits) are and what it should be. In this sense, the scientific heritage of E. M. Primakov is important not only for general political science, but also is of great interest for disciplines such as elitology, geopolitics, and international relations. This paper analyzes his understanding of the essence of the category of “power” in the context of Russia's foreign and domestic policy in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This work examines in detail various aspects of the category of “power”, which runs like a red thread through all the works of E. M. Primakov. Power itself is the most important feature of the political elite, and Yevgeny Maksimovich constantly focuses his reader's attention on this matter. He especially highlights such a variable of political power as the alignment of forces within the elite at a specific historical moment.