Boundaries, Governance and the International Order
The article examines the distinctive character of the interconnected world of the twenty-first century. The analysis explores the influence of technology on the international system in the modern age, leading up to the unique challenges of the contemporary world. Historically, advances in transportation, scientific breakthroughs, and their military applications have profoundly influenced the ability of states to project power and have had an impact on political structures and configurations. There appears to be little consensus on how these changes influence the debates on power, deterrence, diplomacy, and other instruments of international relations. Traditionally, scholars of the international system have focused on the possession of knowledge and weapons that provided a military advantage in the interpretation of power configurations. Our argument is that the twenty-first century world has a different technological emphasis, that of communications and its supportive satellite and internet infrastructure that forms the basis of the information revolution. The new technologies have succeeded in creating an alternative universe presenting a governance challenge to traditional institutions, laws, and concepts of territoriality.