US Strategy as a System-Structuring Configuration

This paper develops and applies the Signal-Pattern Analysis (SPA) framework to examine the strategic configuration of the United States in the contemporary international system.

The study conceptualises US strategy as a differentiated system of interaction with key actors, including China, Iran, and Russia. It demonstrates that the United States structures the system by assigning distinct interaction regimes—competition, coercion, and controlled competition—to different actors.

The paper argues that this differentiation prevents the consolidation of adversarial blocs and enables the United States to maintain systemic influence without transitioning to a new system.

The findings highlight the role of the United States as a system-structuring actor and demonstrate the analytical utility of SPA for understanding contemporary strategic behaviour.