The New Rules of the Game

In the grand game of international relations, we’re witnessing a fascinating convergence of old-world diplomacy and new-world technology. Like a complex network topology, each node affects the others in ways we couldn’t have predicted even a decade ago.

The recent Supreme Court decision on Hungary isn’t just about legal jurisdiction - it’s a signal about how we handle the ghosts of history in a hyperconnected world. When we can’t rely on traditional legal frameworks to address historical wrongs, we’re forced to innovate new solutions. This is the kind of constraint that creates evolution in systems.

The Leverage of Networks

The Starlink situation in Ukraine reveals something profound about modern power dynamics. We’ve created a world where private companies control crucial infrastructure that nation-states depend on. This isn’t just about satellite internet - it’s about the emergence of what I call “network leverage.”

When Elon can potentially influence geopolitical outcomes through access to Starlink, we’re seeing a new form of power that doesn’t fit neatly into our old models of international relations. It’s permissionless, it’s borderless, and it’s increasingly immune to traditional state control.

The Long Game of Rights

The 2025 International Women’s Day themes aren’t just annual celebrations - they’re markers in a long-term game of societal evolution. What we’re really seeing is the steady accumulation of small changes that compound over time, like interest in a well-managed portfolio.

The push for women’s rights globally is a perfect example of what happens when information networks make it impossible to maintain isolated pockets of inequality. The internet doesn’t just connect computers - it connects consciousness, aspirations, and expectations.

Digital Diplomacy: The New Operating System

These trends all point to something bigger: we’re watching the emergence of a new operating system for international relations. The old system was based on geographic boundaries, state power, and formal diplomatic channels. The new system is based on network effects, digital infrastructure, and the power of narrative.

When Hungary faces legal challenges in US courts, when Starlink becomes a diplomatic bargaining chip, when women’s rights movements coordinate globally through social media - these aren’t isolated incidents. They’re features of this new operating system.

The Path Forward

The smart play here isn’t to resist these changes but to understand them and adapt. Nation-states won’t disappear, but they’ll have to learn to operate in a world where power flows through networks as much as it does through traditional channels.

For individuals, the implications are clear: understand networks, build leverage through technology, and think in systems. The future belongs to those who can navigate both the physical and digital realms with equal skill.

For states and institutions, the challenge is to adapt without losing their essential functions. The Hungary case shows us that traditional legal frameworks have limits, but also that we need new mechanisms for addressing historical injustices in a networked world.

The Ultimate Game

The trends we’re seeing aren’t just about politics or technology - they’re about the evolution of human coordination at a global scale. We’re building new ways to organize, to seek justice, to exercise power, and to create change.

The successful players in this new game will be those who understand that power now flows through networks, that technology creates new forms of leverage, and that the old rules are being rewritten in real-time.

In this world, the ability to adapt, to learn, and to build network effects becomes more valuable than traditional forms of state power. As we watch these trends unfold, we’re not just observing changes in international relations - we’re watching the emergence of a new form of human organization.

Remember: in a networked world, the most important capital is not financial or political - it’s the ability to understand and navigate complex systems while maintaining long-term thinking and ethical clarity.