The Concept of Power

The conditions of domination and subordination of power have always been a constant in the history of human relations and its forms of social organization.

For that reason, analyze the nature and dynamics of power is one of the most important elements of policy analysis and to develop prospective scenarios. It should be noted, as a precautionary measure, which by its very nature interdisciplinary social and profile, the comprehensive study of power in all of its edges, requires a major effort of synthesis that has a enormous size and complexity.

Whenever the subjects of study correspond to the area of political science and specifically to the field of International Relations Theory of the State and the school of political realism is the theoretical element driver.

By its application will be an effort of synthesis aimed at discussing the ways in which the study of power has been renewed concepts of national security.

The main hypothesis argues that power remains an appropriate prism for interpreting national and international reality. This hypothesis is derived in two secondary schools. The first argues that the renewal of security concepts do not break with the theoretical principles of the realist school of power, as only fit a new social reality, by lowering the priorities of the military component. The second hypothesis states that strategic planning schemes allow interpreting state interests and national security objectives under a vision of rationalization of resources and results, beyond the paradigm of unlimited budgets under the argument of reason of state.

The power has gone in parallel with the history of man. Hence, in studies of the gregarious nature of man and of all forms of organization that has evolved in society, direct or indirect references to power, have always been present. A specialist said that this concept has been an ongoing and thorough review by analysts from many different fields of knowledge. From the philosophers of ancient Greece to today military planners, and among them, a whole galaxy of experts in psychology, sociology, economics, political science and international relations, among other disciplines.

The power and their policies have a special relation, which is the figure of the State. According to Maurice Duverger, politics, for some, is the science of the state, while for others it is the science of power. This dichotomy for us, there is as sharp. The power is inherent in the State, to the point that the State is not without power.

It is important to emphasize that the power has laws and fundamental characteristics that distinguish it for purposes of historical analysis, other areas of social knowledge. Only through them can explain why throughout the history of mankind, many nations have lost their place of influence and their empires.

The two major mistakes people make when assessing the power of states: The first is that the power of a state is never permanent, point related to the fact that can be prominent at a given time may not be as important in another. The second is the fallacy of a single factor, which gives too much importance to an element of power.

There are two categories of laws: the static and dynamic. The first is universality, diversity, integrity, neutrality and interdependence. For the dynamic stresses conservation, expansion and efficiency relativity.

The power has two faces or facets. Internally, the power is linked to the legal order, the separation of powers and the forms of political, territorial and government, from a fully independent and fully sovereign in their decisions, power is the set of mutual relations between the trustees of public authority and between them and the people.

Groups, like individuals, have two procedures for obtaining, in case of opposition and conflict, the objectives sought: direct action and political action. The former means that the group acts directly on individuals whose cooperation is necessary to achieve the desired result. The second, that the group tries to succeed by exercising the coercive power of the state.