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2024 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

4. The International Geostructure of Power: A Trans-Structural Approach

Authors : Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba, Alberto Rocha Valencia

Published in: National Power and International Geostructure

Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore

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Abstract

States relate to each other, giving rise to the international system, which is organized around two main axes: the axis of competition and the axis of cooperation. This chapter focuses on the axis of competition, that is, the mutual disposition or position of state units in the system based on competition. Three important theories of International Relations were reviewed for the analysis, which are embedded within broader paradigms of thought: neorealism (as part of the realist paradigm), world-systems theory (as part of the neo-Marxist paradigm), and institutional neoliberalism (as part of the liberal paradigm). By breaking down the variables used by these theories, it was possible to determine that each of them emphasizes certain elements of national power that allow them to “weigh” states. Discovering this allowed us to question the historically prevalent inter-paradigmatic stagnation and transcend it. From this and with the support of innovative quantitative techniques that allowed us to ponder the multiple dimensions of power revealed by the afore mentioned theories, a trans-structural model was developed that contributed to a broad and complex understanding of power in the international system, which it helped us visualize the heterogeneity and multidimensionality of the distribution of power between states. This innovative classification of states constructed here not only synthesizes the specificities of each theoretical paradigm but also articulates them, generating a model that allows for the accurate determination of the position that each state occupies in the international geostructure based on precise, differentiated, and complex reading of its national power.

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We are grateful to Geopolítica(s) for granting us permission to reuse material from the article titled “Geoestructura de poder en el sistema político internacional: un enfoque trans-estructural” which was published in Geopolítica(s): Revista de Estudios sobre Espacio y Poder, Volume 13, Issue 1 (2022), pages 41–81. https://doi.org/10.5209/geop.72589. This material has been translated from Spanish as part of Chap. 4 of this book.

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Title: The International Geostructure of Power: A Trans-Structural Approach
Authors: Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba
Alberto Rocha Valencia
Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore
Book: National Power and International Geostructure
Print ISBN: 978-981-9711-79-6

Electronic ISBN: 978-981-9711-80-2

Copyright Year: 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1180-2_4