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Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): April

Copyright (c) 2026 Vérène Niyomana, Patrick Mushitsi

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The End of Interdependence: Re-assessing Power, Progress, and Peace in a Fragmented World

https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v3i2.292
Vérène Niyomana
University of Burundi, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Department of Political Science and International Relations
Patrick Mushitsi
University of Burundi, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Department of Political Science and International Relations

Corresponding Author(s) : Vérène Niyomana

v.niyomana@gmail.com

Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): April

Abstract

This article uses counterfactual analysis to explore a hypothetical world in which states operate under mandatory autarky, completely lacking the economic, security, and social interdependence that define the modern international system. While existing International Relations (IR) scholarship extensively examines the consequences of growing interdependence, it has not systematically theorized the structural and political outcomes of its complete and instantaneous absence. This article aims to show that ending interdependence would not merely revert the system to Westphalian realism but would fundamentally and unexpectedly reshape its core principles. Using a deductive thought experiment to test key IR paradigms, the article examines four structural changes: the shift of power toward complex, autarkic capabilities; the halt in progress as global knowledge resources collapse; the tension of peace into rigid spheres of influence; and an environmental paradox in which local efforts fail to prevent global ecological decline. The article concludes that such a fragmented world would be marked by profound instability, cultural and technological stagnation, and a fragile peace sustained solely by deterrence. This offers a critical perspective for re-evaluating the advantages and vulnerabilities of the current global order, warning that even the perceived failures of interdependence may be preferable to any viable autarkic alternative

Keywords

Autarky Interdependence Peace Power Progress
Niyomana, V., & Mushitsi, P. (2026). The End of Interdependence: Re-assessing Power, Progress, and Peace in a Fragmented World . Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(2), 318–338. https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v3i2.292
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