On March 27, 2013, Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University (UNN) hosted the international scientific conference "Foreign Regional Studies: Problems of Theory and Practice", which was attended by teachers, postgraduates, students of this educational institution, as well as employees of scientific and educational centers of Russia and Iran, including the Institute of Regional Studies. Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, MGIMO(U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Ivanovo State University. The event was organized by the Department of Foreign Regional Studies of UNN. Being a new structure of this educational institution, it not only trains students of regional studies, but also engages in research activities in the field of regional aspects of international relations, as well as in-depth study of history, culture, religion, ethno-confessional processes and activities of non-governmental organizations in Europe, the Middle and Far East and North America. In recent years, within the framework of special programs, the department pays special attention to the research of individual countries and regions of Asia and Africa. A section of the conference was devoted to the analysis of the problems of these countries. A. A. Kornilov (UNN) presented the report "Complex thinking and its application in the study of foreign regions". Noting that since the current era in the system of international relations is characterized by turbulence and the world is moving from unipolarity to polycentricity, it is necessary to change the theoretical pillars of the system of international relations. The state of uncertainty, unpredictability, and uneven development of individual regions, as well as a number of sectors of international actors ' activities, has brought to life a variety of expert and analytical products. Specialists of various profiles, from pro-government centers to so-called independent institutes of foreign policy analysis ... Read more