Power Diffusion and the Hybridization of International Order

Authors

  • Gvantsa Abdaladze Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

Keywords:

international system, power diffusion, strategic autonomy, hybrid order

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the transformation of the international order driven by the diffusion of power, both in theoretical terms and through case analysis, with European strategic autonomy selected as the case study. The central question addressed is: How does power diffusion reshape the structure of the international order, the distribution of power, and the system of actors? Under the conditions of power diffusion, wars have already been transformed into hybrid wars, where the boundary between war and peace has become blurred. Similarly, peace concepts have introduced the notion of hybrid peace, in which the distinction between peace and capitulation is ambiguous. The transformation of the international order based on power diffusion does not create an alternative order but rather diffuses and hybridizes the existing one. Just as with hybrid war and hybrid peace, in a hybrid order the very essence of order and the logic of interaction among poles remain unclear.

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Published

20.01.2026

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Articles