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Un-Diplomatic's avatar

For those who want to go deeper on the Network State, a buddy of mine just published a journal article about it (minus the geopolitics): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anti.70069?utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack. It’s the only intellectual rigorous account of the network state I’ve seen

Stéphanie Martel's avatar

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. There's OBV a research agenda for the taking right here, links with private actors in global governance lit (global assemblages) and implications of transnational far-right movements. Fascinating and scary AF.

Un-Diplomatic's avatar

Appreciate that! You’re totally right about the research agenda thing

Stéphanie Martel's avatar

To be clear, seconding your sentiment about thinking/writing as a coping mech here...

Stéphanie Martel's avatar

This piece has been getting a lot of traction outside academia recently, and you have likely seen it, but just in case: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-organization/article/further-back-to-the-future-neoroyalism-the-trump-administration-and-the-emerging-international-system/ABB12906CA345BBCA5049B544363D391. It aligns with your views here! (Not sure you have access but if you don't, reach out.)

Stéphanie Martel's avatar

Not about the network state per se but a lot of it echoes.

Un-Diplomatic's avatar

Yeah, I’ve heard folks talk about this piece but haven’t gotten around to reading yet; it does sound compatible at a minimum!

Stéphanie Martel's avatar

Coming from a huge IR voice in the top IR journal is also telling. Maybe there's hope for the discipline afterall lol. We're always late to the "party" but we get there eventually.....

John Seal's avatar

If you're interested in reading more about the 20th century technocracy movement, Anton Cebalo hipped me to this dissertation: https://www.scribd.com/document/661881817/Adair-The-Technocrats-1919-1967?doc_id=661881817&order=673573459&v=0.195

Un-Diplomatic's avatar

Oh wow, thanks for sending--I never would’ve found that

Charles Knight's avatar

Are there others theorizing the network state? First that I’ve heard the term. Comment: You’d think run-of-the-mill nation-states would provide enough meat for the oligarchs.

Un-Diplomatic's avatar

Zero attention in IR. I know one critical scholar who’s written about it and I need to dig up his paper; it’s quite new. The only reason it ended up in my radar is bc things I research (spheres of influence, frontier imaginaries, geopolitics as class war, oligarchy) led me to the tech bros who are pursuing network states