Hard Power

This year's Munich Security Conference brought plenty of talk about geopolitics, spheres of influence, the future of NATO, and defense budgets.

- SRI AUROBINDO

But as much as these debates matter, they no longer define the full spectrum of power. In today’s fractured world, security is not just about tanks and treaties. It also depends on strong and trusted partnerships, resilient systems, and functioning institutions. These are what equip societies to withstand shocks.Understood in these terms, international development is not just a form of "soft power” (exerting influence through persuasion and attraction). It is hard power — and our most effective preemptive strike against future threats.

Too many leaders fail to recognize that development is foundational to security itself. They regard development assistance as charity, a luxury compared to the necessity of "real” defense work. But this mindset undermines stability by blinding policymakers to the many drivers of conflict. The longer we ignore the root causes of violence, the more we will pay in lives, taxes, and foregone prosperity.

It costs far less to prevent crises than to manage their consequences. If we elevate fighter jets as "strategic" assets but dismiss a functioning education system as "mere aid," and if we always find money for missiles but not for water or electricity, we are not protecting our societies. We are weakening them.