The cohesion theory of power: a sociopolitical account of the Soviet collapse

Why do powerful states collapse from within despite retaining substantial military and economic capabilities? This question motivates the Cohesion Theory of Power, which defines effective power as the capacity to mobilize and coordinate material resources for coherent political action. The theory argues that material capabilities become effective only when supported by sociopolitical cohesion across three dimensions: horizontal, vertical, and institutional. It engages with structural and neoclassical realism alongside broader sociological traditions, including Weber, Mann, Ibn Khaldūn, and Barnett and Duvall. The Soviet collapse illustrates how eroding socio-political cohesion rendered vast material capabilities politically ineffective before formal dissolution.