The article studies the reasons behind the current trend towards a change in the configuration of the geopolitical balance of forces within the framework of the modern system of international relations, as well as cyclical patterns in the change of models of international relations. Methodological aspects are considered in terms of the model of international relations, as well as centers and poles of power. The article also investigates the applicability of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the parameters of a contender for the status of a center of power. Finally, it examines the ability of these states to compete with the current hegemony of the United States.
Russian Federation; People's Republic of China; United States of America; theory of international relations; world politics; model of international relations.