Regional players as antagonists: forms of irredentism and "phantom pains" of neighbors in different types of contemporary civilizations

 The article shows the evolution in the interpretation of antagonists in   science, the flexibility and changeability of antagonists on the world stage, the   competition between neighbors of the first order and the possibility of alliances   with neighbors of the second order, errors in determining possible allies in   France. The historical vectors of different forms of irredentism, the factors of   degradation of irredentism and its transformation from legitimate and fair to   illegal and unfair are divorced. The differences in the definition of antagonists and the degree of aggressiveness   of Retro-, Pirahan- and Forthcoming civilizations are revealed. It is proved that   retro-civilizations engaged in the revision of historical memory and based on   a retrograde, revanchist orientation live at the expense of "phantom pains", in   Russia's neighbors – thanks to irrational Russophobia. Their aggressiveness is   capable of reaching a high intensity, but does not rely on the necessary resources.   The Pirahan-civilization is also unstable – due to the gap between the hedonism   of the dominant culture and the propaganda of the "progressors"-motives.   Among the forthcoming-civilizations, there are both peaceful progressive   options and expansionist reactionary variants.