The Methodology of Researching Contemporary Inter-Civilizational Tensions According to Niall Ferguson’s Concept

International relations and global politics of the modern world have entered a state of certain turbulence over the past few years. Theoretical reflections and forecasts of many past scholars regarding possible prospects and directions of transformation of the post-bipolar world are currently being realized in the open confrontation between the coalition of countries of the free world and countries with authoritarian political systems. Clearly, the authoritarian regimes of the russian federation, the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have challenged the established norms of international law and the international political order that emerged after the end of World War II. At the same time, we also observe the undermined (questioned) authority of the United States as an international arbitrator in resolving complex global problems. Thus, the system of global international relations is experiencing today a state of inter-civilizational tension that threatens to grow into a global clash, as predicted in the 1990s by Samuel Huntington. Under such circumstances, it is particularly important to understand the fundamental principles of organization of both Western and other civilizations alternative to the West, as well as the content of the most significant differences between them. Niall Ferguson’s research helps to form such an understanding quite convincingly, as he managed to collect extremely informative material for a clear explanation of the process of formation of modern world civilization, which is built on the foundations of the Western world, Western civilization. At the same time, N.Ferguson reveals the essence of the main problems that have now brought Western civilization to a state of internal crisis and weakened its position in the world.