Geopolitics Quarterly

Geopolitics Quarterly

A Critical Analysis of Dominant Theoretical Approaches to Science Diplomacy in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations, Institute for Cultural, Social and Civilizational Studies
2 Postdoctoral student, Moscow State University of International Relations, Russia. Researcher, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22034/igq.2026.564839.2139
Abstract
With the onset of the third millennium, science diplomacy has emerged as a key domain linking science, technology, and foreign policy. However, its dominant theoretical approaches face significant explanatory challenges. The framework proposed by the The Royal Society (2010), due to its idealistic orientation, conceptual ambiguity, and neglect of the power-oriented and competitive dimensions of science, lacks sufficient analytical adequacy. Likewise, the approach advanced by Gluckman and et al. (2017), despite its attention to national and global interests, remains insufficient in addressing contemporary transformations — including the shift from science-centrism to technology-centrism, the rise of emerging scientific powers in the Global South, and the securitization of artificial intelligence– and quantum computing–based technologies within the context of the evolving geopolitical order. Drawing upon an analytical review of library-based and documentary scholarly literature through a descriptive–critical approach, this study proposes a theoretical framework that integrates three core constructs: (1) the instrumentalization of science and research as “power as a geopolitical construct”; (2) the transition toward technology-centrism across multiple domains of science diplomacy as a “geopolitical technological construct”; and (3) the pluralization of scientific governance in the form of a “networked–equilibrium construct” incorporating diverse global stakeholders. The integration of these constructs not only addresses the explanatory gaps of earlier frameworks but also provides a pragmatic understanding of science diplomacy for multiple stakeholders within the contemporary geopolitical order.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 May 2026

  • Receive Date 07 January 2026
  • Revise Date 16 February 2026
  • Accept Date 05 May 2026