The problems of the political subjectness of local civilizations and their role in world politics have gained renewed relevance due to the processes of globalization, the transformation of the world order and the formation of international regional alliances. The article analyzes the monograph “Civilizations in the modern world” (Moscow: LENAND, 2022), written by the prominent Russian political scientist and historian V.G. Khoros. The author of the monograph explores the main characteristics of modern civilizations, immersing into the key factors of political development, such as the features of internal social differentiation of each civilization and related internal political confrontations, as well as the distinctive features of non-linear dynamics and modernization processes. The monograph combines different political science approaches and provides extensive historical material. From the political science perspective, the study of non-Western civilizations - Chinese, Indian, African, Islamic, as well as Russian civilization appears to be most remarkable. All in all, the monograph provides a valuable contribution to the study of civilizations and their role in modern politics. It also provides answers to many topical issues discussed by domestic and foreign scholars.