Our Research Focus

The research agenda at GPS is distinguished by its focus on the friction points of the international system. The research focus is categorized into four primary domains, each addressing a critical facet of the contemporary global order and reflecting the specific expertise of the faculty.

This pillar rejects the “death of distance” narrative, asserting instead a “revenge of geography” where physical terrain continues to constrain state action. Research focuses on the material “friction points” of the international system—specifically “shatterbelts” where great power interests collide with local ethnic fractures. The analysis moves beyond abstract IR theory to the kinetic reality of conflict, examining the “geography of war”—logistics, terrain, and industrial capacity—as decisive factors in modern warfare. It dissects how military force and revisionist political will are currently fracturing the established maps of Eastern Europe and beyond.

This domain situates contemporary events within the longue durée of hegemonic cycles, analyzing the erosion of unipolarity and the emergence of a polycentric or multipolar system. The inquiry centers on the strategic triangles involving the United States, China, and Russia, with specific focus on Eurasian revisionism and the “Indo-Pacific Pivot”. Research here deconstructs the collision between the European Union’s normative power and the hard power realism of the Eurasian Economic Union. It further investigates the security dilemmas of middle powers caught between these shifting tectonic plates of the global order.

Challenging the Westphalian ideal, this research area operationalizes the theory of “Neomedievalism” to explain a fragmented global order defined by overlapping, competitive authorities. The focus is on the “geopolitics of the gray zone,” treating unrecognized “de facto” states (e.g., Taiwan, Transnistria) not as anomalies, but as structural features of the international system. It analyzes the “sovereignty game” where violent non-state actors mimic state functions—taxing populations and administering justice—effectively acting as neo-feudal entities in a durable disorder.

This module expands the definition of geopolitical territory to include cognitive, environmental, and extraterrestrial domains. It pioneers the study of Astropolitics, viewing the inner solar system not as a global commons but as a new “high ground” for military and economic competition. Simultaneously, it addresses Cognitive Warfare, where information is weaponized to alter the “mental maps” and geopolitical orientation of nations. Finally, it integrates Climate Security, analyzing environmental change as a “threat multiplier” that opens new sea lines of communication in the Arctic while driving conflict through resource scarcity in the Global South.

The Scholar-Practitioner Nexus

The faculty is composed of a unique synthesis of active diplomats and academic theorists. This structure ensures that our analysis is not limited to abstract liberalism but is grounded in the material realities of industrial capacity, military logistics, and alliance politics. By connecting the classroom to the “levers of power,” we produce strategic intelligence that is empirically grounded and policy-relevant.

Situated in a historical fulcrum of European security, the program leverages its geographic location to offer unique insights into Eurasian revisionism. Our research dissects the collision between the European Union’s normative power and the hard power dynamics of the “Near Abroad”. This location allows for a granular analysis of Russian strategic culture and the specific “shatterbelts” of the post-Soviet space, viewing these not as distant theoretical problems but as immediate security challenges.