Why this exists
West Germany during the Reagan years lent a certain geopolitical anxiety to the air we breathed. I was always bothered by the fact that so often the books and papers I read focused on a single issue, but I felt that it was often impossible to fully understand what is happening in isolation.
Worldbalanceofpower.com is the tool I always dreamt of but could never find. Paul Kennedy introduced me to how great powers fit into the international system and World War II history helped teach me how important the great powers were to the lives of everyday people.
This site is an attempt to gather a global view of the geopolitical situation right now. It pulls together news, history, theory, and data to create as complete a narrative as possible of the events of our time.
This site is as much for the casual IR enthusiast who knows that such a thing as 'theory' exists somewhere as it is for academics who want an idea of what to look at next or are looking at how to approach a specific topic. The model portal will be a valuable tool for anyone serious about understanding how theory might explain what is happening in the world around us. This is for anyone who has ever felt that their life is controlled by events they never saw coming.
I hope this site can help ease that feeling—that it can replace fear of the unknown with understanding.
What The Balance of Power actually is
Three things that share one underlying framework:
- A theory portal — every quantified IR function from the literature, sourced and traceable. Not opinion, not summary — the actual formulas with the page references that justify them.
- A live analysis platform — current events run through the same theory functions. When something happens in the world, you can see what major IR frameworks would predict.
- A grand strategy simulation — the same engine, with you as a national leader. Future deliverable.
The shared spine: a database of nations, leaders, militaries, economies, organizations, and historical events from 1945 to today.
What it isn't
- Not a news aggregator. There are 100 of those.
- Not a hot-take blog. The point is to show the work.
- Not hidden behind a paywall. Free tier always shows the analysis.
What's coming first
- Some analysis of the conflicts currently going on in the Middle East: Israel-Gaza Conflict and the US/Israel-Iran War. Soon.
- Expansion of the model portal — more theorists, more functions. Ongoing.
- National Power Rankings. Soon.
How to follow along
No mailing list yet — I'd rather build the thing than ask for your email. If you find this useful, the best thing you can do is come back, poke around, and tell me what's broken.
Found something — a bug or a broken function? Have an opinion? Email me: fritzrobert99@gmail.com
About
I am Nathan, a teacher, a grad student with a focus on geopolitics and national power measurement, and a married father of two who has spent too much time thinking about this.