Security Horizons

Security Horizons

Theoretical analysis of power networks in the international system

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Imam Ali (AS) Military University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor of International Political Relations, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Imam Ali (AS) Military University, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor of Political Geography, National Defense University
Abstract
In the last decade, the international system has entered a new geopolitical transition, one of the most important features of which is the networking of power relations. This research, using qualitative analysis, has examined and analyzed the paradigm shift in the geometry and structure of power from power poles to power networks for the new order ahead.The research findings show that the structure of the new world order of the future, while moving away from linear relations between powers and becoming complex and multidimensional, will be based on interconnected networks of power in which central powers of the regions in various fields (economic, security, technological, etc.) play a major role in power relations as the hub of the regional network.According to the logic of power networks, the position of countries in the structure of the international system at the stage of power distribution is determined not in a traditional and linear manner but based on their level and determinants in different power networks. Given that the actors themselves are organized in networks, global networks exert power on other networks through programming and switching, and on this basis, a pattern of competition and cooperation is formed in the network order.
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Volume 18, Issue 68 - Serial Number 3
Autumn 2025
Autumn 2025
Pages 71-104

  • Receive Date 09 March 2025
  • Revise Date 19 April 2025
  • Accept Date 19 May 2025
  • Publish Date 23 September 2025