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Global Power and Geopolitical Strategies

16 décembre 2025

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International Issues: National Interest, Power, and Geopolitics

1. Overview

  • Focuses on how states prioritize and protect their national interests in international relations and geopolitics.
  • Emphasizes the role of power, its types, and how it influences state behavior.
  • Covers concepts of national interest, power dynamics, and methods of influence (hard, soft, smart power).
  • Discusses major actors, conflicts, and contemporary issues like privatized wars and technological warfare.
  • Key ideas follow the chronological development from the concept of national interest to modern geopolitical strategies.

2. Core Concepts & Key Elements

  • National Interest: Central to foreign policy; guides state actions and decisions.
  • Interchangeable notions: national interest, state interest, vital interest, strategic objectives, security.
  • Power: Ability to influence others to achieve desired outcomes.
    • Methods of influence:
      • Coercion (Threats)
      • Inducement (Payments)
      • Attraction and co-optation
  • Definitions of Power:
    • Material and immaterial factors causing obedience (Amid Zanjani).
    • Ability to oblige others against their will (Ashouri).
  • National Power: Capacity to secure national goals via force, influence, or threats.
  • Joseph Nye’s view:
    • Power is the ability to attain outcomes; resources vary by context.
    • Influence can shape preferences, not just command.
  • Faces of Power (Nye):
    • Threats or rewards (Behavior change).
    • Agenda control (Limiting choices).
    • Shaping perceptions and beliefs (Unconscious influence).
  • Relational Power Aspects:
    • Hard Power: Military, economic sanctions.
    • Soft Power: Cultural influence, values.
    • Smart Power: Combination of hard and soft power.

3. High-Yield Facts

  • Power: Set of factors causing obedience; includes material and immaterial.
  • National Power: Ability to achieve goals through force or influence.
  • Joseph Nye:
    • Power resources: military, economic, cultural, political values.
    • In the information age, storytelling and perception are crucial.
  • Faces of Power:
    • First face: Behavior change via threats/rewards.
    • Second face: Agenda control.
    • Third face: Shaping perceptions unconsciously.
  • Traditional Foreign Policy Tools:
    • Military interventions (e.g., US in Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003, NATO in Libya 2011, Russia in Ukraine 2022).
    • Economic sanctions (e.g., Iran, Russia, North Korea).
  • Types of Power:
    • Hard Power: Military, sanctions.
    • Soft Power: Cultural influence, language, human rights.
    • Smart Power: Strategic blend of both.

4. Summary Table

ConceptKey PointsNotes
National InterestGuides foreign policy; core goal of statesInterchangeable with security, strategic objectives
PowerAbility to influence behaviorMaterial & immaterial factors
Hard PowerMilitary, sanctionsCoercive methods
Soft PowerCultural, ideological influenceNon-coercive methods
Smart PowerCombination of hard & softStrategic influence
Faces of PowerBehavior change, agenda control, perception shapingNye’s model
Major toolsMilitary interventions, sanctionsExamples: US, NATO, Russia
Influence resourcesMilitary, culture, political valuesNye’s framework

5. Mini-Schema

International Issues
 ├─ National Interest
 │   └─ Guides foreign policy; complex notions
 ├─ Power
 │   ├─ Definitions & Types
 │   ├─ Faces of Power
 │   └─ Aspects: Hard, Soft, Smart
 ├─ Traditional Foreign Policy Tools
 │   ├─ Military Interventions
 │   └─ Economic Sanctions
 └─ Major Actors & Conflicts
     ├─ Privatization of wars
     ├─ Drones & AI warfare
     └─ Contemporary conflicts

6. Rapid-Review Bullets

  • National interest drives foreign policy decisions.
  • Power influences state behavior through coercion, persuasion, or attraction.
  • Nye’s three faces of power: behavior change, agenda setting, perception shaping.
  • Hard power includes military force and sanctions.
  • Soft power involves cultural influence and values.
  • Smart power combines both hard and soft approaches strategically.
  • Major military interventions: Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Libya (2011), Ukraine (2022).
  • Economic sanctions target countries like Iran, North Korea, Russia.
  • Influence resources: military, culture, political values.
  • Privatized wars involve private military contractors like Wagner and BlackWater.
  • Modern warfare includes drones and AI technologies.
  • Influence in geopolitics is shaped by both state and non-state actors.

Global Power and Geopolitical Strategies

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International Issues: National Interest, Power, and Geopolitics


1. 📌 Essentials

  • National Interest: Core goal guiding a state's foreign policy and actions.
  • Power: Ability to influence others to achieve outcomes.
  • Faces of Power (Nye): Behavior change, agenda control, perception shaping.
  • Types of Power: Hard (military, sanctions), (culture, values), Smart (blend).
  • Major Tools: Military interventions, economic sanctions.
  • Key Actors: States, private military companies, non-state actors.
  • Modern Warfare: Use of drones, AI, privatized conflicts.
  • Geopolitical Strategies: Influence through coercion, attraction, and information.
  • Power Resources: Military, economic, cultural, political.
  • Conflicts: Proxy wars, privatized wars, technological warfare.

2. 🧩 Key Structures & Components

  • National Interest — Guides foreign policy; encompasses security, economic prosperity, influence.
  • Power — Capacity to influence; includes material (military, economic) and immaterial (culture, perception).
  • Faces of Power (Nye) —
    • First face: Behavior change via threats/rewards.
    • Second face: Agenda-setting (limiting options).
    • Third face: Shaping perceptions unconsciously.
  • Types of Power —
    • Hard Power: Military, sanctions.
    • Soft Power: Cultural influence, language, ideology.
    • Smart Power: Strategic combination of both.
  • Major Tools — Military interventions, sanctions, diplomatic influence.
  • Actors — States, private military companies (e.g., Wagner), non-state actors.
  • Technologies — Drones, AI, cyber warfare.

3. 🔬 Functions, Mechanisms & Relationships

  • Power enables states to pursue national interests through coercion or attraction.
  • Hard power (military, sanctions) enforces compliance or deters adversaries.
  • Soft power (culture, values) attracts allies and shapes global perceptions.
  • Nye’s faces of power explain how influence operates:
    • Behavior change (threats, rewards).
    • Agenda control (deciding what issues are discussed).
    • Perception shaping (unconscious influence).
  • Strategic use of smart power maximizes influence with minimal conflict.
  • Military interventions often follow national interests or responses to threats.
  • Economic sanctions serve as non-military coercive tools.
  • Influence resources are mobilized hierarchically: military > economic > cultural.

4. 🗂️ Hierarchical Diagram (ASCII)

Power & Influence in International Relations
 ├─ National Interest
 │    └─ Guides foreign policy decisions
 ├─ Power
 │    ├─ Hard Power (Military, Sanctions)
 │    ├─ Soft Power (Culture, Ideology)
 │    └─ Smart Power (Blend of both)
 ├─ Faces of Power (Nye)
 │    ├─ Behavior change (Threats/Rewards)
 │    ├─ Agenda control
 │    └─ Perception shaping
 ├─ Tools & Actors
 │    ├─ Military interventions
 │    ├─ Economic sanctions
 │    └─ Private military companies
 └─ Technologies
      ├─ Drones
      ├─ AI
      └─ Cyber warfare

5. ⚠️ High-Yield Pitfalls & Confusions

  • Confusing national interest with security; they are related but broader.
  • Mistaking soft power for mere cultural exports; it also involves values and ideology.
  • Overestimating the effectiveness of sanctions without considering unintended consequences.
  • Assuming military intervention always aligns with national interest; often complex and contested.
  • Confusing faces of power; all three are distinct but interconnected.
  • Underestimating the role of non-state actors like private military companies.
  • Overlooking the influence of perception and information in modern geopolitics.
  • Misinterpreting smart power as simply soft or hard power, rather than a strategic combination.

6. ✅ Final Exam Checklist

  • Define national interest and its components.
  • Explain power and its types (hard, soft, smart).
  • Describe Nye’s three faces of power.
  • List and differentiate tools of foreign influence: military, sanctions, cultural diplomacy.
  • Identify major actors in contemporary conflicts.
  • Understand modern warfare technologies: drones, AI, cyber.
  • Recognize examples of military interventions and economic sanctions.
  • Clarify the role of private military companies.
  • Explain how perception and information influence geopolitics.
  • Describe the concept of smart power and its strategic importance.
  • Recognize the significance of technological warfare in current conflicts.
  • Be familiar with major conflicts: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine.
  • Understand the impact of privatization of wars.
  • Know the resources of influence: military, cultural, political.
  • Be aware of current challenges: privatized wars, AI, drones.

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Question

Faces of Power — Nye?

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Réponse

Behavior change, agenda control, perception shaping.

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What is the primary focus of the course 'International Issues: National Interest, Power, and Geopolitics'?

To analyze economic development strategies of nations
To study the history of international organizations
To examine environmental policies of different countries
To explore how states prioritize and protect their national interests in international relations and geopolitics

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