21st-Century Statecraft: Reconciling Power, Justice And Meta-Geopolitical Interests

07 September 2022

From civilisational frontier risks associated with new challenges like disruptive technologies, to the shifting nature of great-power conflicts and subversion, the 21st century requires a new approach to statecraft. In 21st-Century Statecraft, Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan proposes five innovative statecraft concepts. He makes the case for a new method of geopolitical analysis called ‘meta-geopolitics’, and for ‘dignity-based governance’. He shows how, in an interdependent and interconnected world, traditional thinking must move beyond zero-sum games and focus on ‘multi-sum and symbiotic realist’ interstate relations. This requires a new paradigm of global security premised on five dimensions of security, and a new concept of power, ‘just power’, which highlights the centrality of justice to state interests. These concepts enable states to balance competing interests and work towards what the author calls ‘reconciliation statecraft’. Throughout, Professor Al-Rodhan brings his philosophical and neuroscientific expertise to bear, providing a practical model for conducting statecraft in a sustainable way.

Information
By Prof. Nayef Al-Rodhan, Director of the Geopolitics and Global Futures Department

Nayef Al-RodhanProfessor Nayef Al-Rodhan is a Philosopher, Neuroscientist and Geostrategist. He is Director of GCSP's Geopolitics and Global Futures Department and Honorary Fellow of St. Antony's College at Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom. Prof Al-Rodhan began his career in neuroscience and neurosurgery before shifting to the field of Global Security and International Relations (IR) in the early 2000s. He holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. and was trained at the Mayo Clinic, Yale University and Harvard University. Full bio available: here
Twitter: SustainHistory 
Personal website: www.sustainablehistory.com
Publications: https://oxford.academia.edu/NayefAlRodhan/
Contact:  [email protected]

Related Course

Transformative Technologies and Security 2025
30 October 2025 | Virtual

Related Event

Apply for the 2025 GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security
25 September 2025