“The Greatest Threat to the Common Peace”: L.A. Kamarovsky on the Eastern Question

Introduction. The article examines the views of a prominent Russian legal scholar, known for his active anti-war position, L.A. Kamarovsky, on the Eastern question. Analysis. In his opinion, Turkey was a weak and artificial political entity, whose existence was largely supported by the disagreements of the great powers. Attempts by European states to involve Turkey in the common political and legal space were doomed to failure and only delayed its inevitable disintegration. Methods and materials. Among the most important methods and approaches used in writing this work are historical-systemic, historical-genetic, and historical-comparative methods. The source base of the research was primarily journalistic materials. Results. The scientist considered several projects for the settlement of the Eastern question, considering the optimal option based on the principles of international law and public discussion of the problem in the format of an international organization. Kamarovsky was convinced of the need to find a common consensus in resolving the Eastern question, which required mutual concessions and compromises. To do this, it was necessary to abandon the usual forms of political settlement of the problem and establish new principles of interstate cooperation based on trust and morality. Only in this case could the Eastern question be effectively and conflict-free resolved in order to achieve common peace and prosperity. Authors’ contribution. N.Yu. Nikolaev has identified the peculiarities of L.A. Kamarovsky’s views on the Eastern question and analyzed the options he proposed for its solution. S.P. Ramazanov has revealed the differences in approaches to the settlement of the Eastern question by L.A. Kamarovsky and N.Ya. Danilevsky.