W. G. Favor

I have finished the foundation of the Hegemonic System Administrator concept. Now to find a way to get people to handle it. Article maybe?

It’s like my concept is playing out in real time…

Unlike the Hegemonic Feudal Lord where power flows up, power flows to the Hegemonic System Administrator but also through the HSA to others.

Any worker with access can interact with other network users without going through the administrator, but they have to use the network provided by the administrator. That's what a HSA does, maintain the network and ensure access for all users.

Through the HSA concept. LIke a systems administrator in an office, that person controls the network. They control who has access, sets the policy, protect it from hackers and viruses, and ensure the network remains online.

I coined the term "Hegemonic Feudal Lord" which means the hegemonic dominates over the smaller countries by demanding tribute and loyalty. Power flows up to the hegemon. But how does this work in a post colonial, post imperial world where alliances and trade agreements criss-cross around the world?

To add a little bit more about this concept, I developed it from papers on China and what people have written about multipolarity and great power competition. IR practitioners and academics talk about the return of spheres of influence where great powers "rule the roost" of their geographical area.

Because multiple hegemons can build networks, competition among great powers centers on control of indispensable networks.

HSA concept examines how a hegemon projects power through the management of networks. It updates Hegemonic Stability Theory (HST) for the digital age by showing how a hegemon can stabilize its network while using exclusion as leverage against dependent states.

Similarly, the HSA is a state that manages the global networks on which other nations depend. It exercises authority by establishing network permissions, maintaining stability, and resolving disruptions to keep the system online.

To understand the idea of the Hegemonic System Administrator, think of the VISA credit card company. While customers and producers exchange their money in transactions, VISA’s power comes from creating, operating, and securing the network they all rely on.

This framework synthesizes three concepts in international relations: hegemonic stability theory, weaponized interdependence, and network analysis.

The HSA is the state that maintains and secures the global network on which others rely. It does so by establishing network permissions, preserving stability, and resolving disruptions.

Over the last few months I have developed a concept I want to share with you all. I shared it on Twitter and LinkedIn, now I will share it here.

In the 21st century, hegemony is best understood through the lens of the Hegemonic System Administrator (HSA). (Pt. 1)

Thinking further about 21st-century multipolarity: it’s not about spheres of influence, but about networks of influence crossing traditional geographical lines.

An Idea I am kicking around: “21st century multipolarity is about strategic competition and influence among the great powers, and asymmetric alignment among the middle and lesser powers"

Hot take on this beautiful Saturday morning: A multipolar international order is an illusion. It is a hierarchy in disguise.

The Congress of Vienna and British Offshore Balancing Strategy Should the US Grand Strategy continue its commitment to European security, or should it be focused elsewhere? Foreign policy and national security experts have debated that question since the fall of ...

Finally, the article explains if offshore balancing can be a successful strategy in the 21st century.

Its naval superiority (investments in ship construction and steam propulsion), and control of the maritime domain (use of colonial possession to project naval power) contributed in the execution of this strategy.

Using the International Relations theory of realism and the idea of balance of power as its frame, the article examines how Great Britain's geographical location (strategic depth),

I am resharing this article I wrote about the Congress of Vienna and how its settlement created an environment allowing the British to implement its offshore balancing strategy.

In the words of Lester Freamon from The Wire: “All the pieces matter.” #criticalconnectivity

Critical Connectivity does two things: It shows how nothing in global affairs happens in isolation—every actor, event, and decision is linked. It also analyzes how power flows through those connections and how the system can be leveraged or disrupted.

I was thinking about my approach to international politics and came up with the idea of critical connectivity.

YouTube video by The Mariners' Museum and Park Maritime Logistics: Shipping, Ports, and the Great Material Continuum

Here is a presentation I gave a little while ago on maritime shipping. It runs for just over an hour. I hope you enjoy.

youtu.be/mHnGWFMouPU?...

Early morning musing: Nations never act in a vacuum. The past isn’t nostalgia—it’s strategic context. #foreignpolicy #history

The Concert of Europe is often cited as a model for today’s multipolar world. However, the Concert was about bringing order to anarchy to prevent wars. That’s what the rules-based system already does. Tearing it down is the antithesis of the Concert itself.

Well...I might need to look for something elsewhere...

I wonder how this new multipolar world will affect peacekeeping operations and conflict resolution?

Sharing something personal real quick: I am a little bummed about the current situation.