Author(s): Bogdan GHEORGHIȚĂ
Publication name: Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
Publisher name: Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
Document type: review
Publication date: June 30, 2026
Pagination: 202-206
Issue/ Volume: 1 (35)/2026
DOI: 10.66766/RISR.2026.1.09
Today, international relations are undergoing a process of
reconstruction. The complex dynamics that followed the end of the Cold
War raise a series of questions to which we are still seeking answers:
How will the international system be restructured? Will China’s rise
materialize into a solid pole of economic and military power in the
coming period, or will the Eastern colossus wait longer for a more
favourable moment? What role will smaller states play: will they have
a voice, or will they be reduced to “geopolitical silence” amid the
confrontation of the major actors on the international stage?
For some of these questions, answers seem to be taking shape.
For others, however, we are still unable to foresee a clear response. At
present, we operate more with uncertainties than with certainties. We
hypothesize, analyse, and attempt to anticipate developments. The
violent conflicts erupting in various corners of the world are themselves
signs of these ongoing realignments. Understanding the way in which the
international system is being reconfigured is therefore a necessity not
only for academia, but also for political decision-makers and institutions
whose field of activity concerns this domain. Moreover, history teaches
us that those who were unprepared for change have often suffered the
most from its consequences.
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