Resource Wars, Identity Conflicts, Disinformation, Geostrategic Rivalries, Global Power Shift and increasing number of non-state actors, among others make it difficult to analyse contemporary international relations. To deal with this problem, the geopolitical approach can be a useful tool, since it takes into account the strategic, historical, geographical, cultural and economic spheres in deciphering the complexity of current and potential future conflicts.

Currency wars, economic warfare, supply chain reorganization, trade wars, influence strategies, weaponized interdependence, securing access to critical minerals and natural resources, cognitive warfare and the global power shift increasingly shape contemporary power rivalries. Classical economic theories no longer capture the full scope of international economic relations, where decisions are often driven by strategic logic inspired by Sun Tzu and Machiavelli and significantly influenced by non-market factors.

The use of economic and financial tools for strategic purposes underscores the close link between geoeconomics and geostrategy. States can adopt geoeconomic strategies that simultaneously advance geopolitical, diplomatic, political, and economic interests. Accordingly, a strategic reorientation of the state’s role in economic policy is increasingly necessary. The effective deployment of geoeconomic strategies will be decisive not only for states’ power positions in the twenty-first century, but also for the ability of private corporations to navigate an increasingly complex international environment. Geoeconomic analysis integrates non-market factors, strategic foresight, and cultural, historical, and geopolitical factors to address the complexity of international relations amid a global power transition.