New Article By Leila Alieva Exploring The Changing Nature of Power, Warfare and Societal Agency

In a new blog for the International Institute for Peace (IIP), REES Associate Dr Leila Alieva explores the changing nature of power, warfare and international relations. She highlights a growing contradiction between the empowerment of individuals and societies through digital technologies, which create new opportunities for participation, influence and creativity, and the continued concentration of political power among states, elites and increasingly individual leaders. Drawing on contemporary conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine, she examines how this tension is reshaping warfare and challenging traditional understandings of power and sovereignty. She argues that greater recognition of societal agency, inclusion and participation in international relations is essential to addressing these contradictions and creating more sustainable pathways to peace.