Sharp power and the effects of states on the political decision-making process

Today's rapidly changing geopolitical conditions and the increasing influence of new information and technologies in the international arena have led to a decreased interest in traditional methods and a heightened urgency for new approaches. As a result, new concepts have been introduced to explain political and foreign policy actions that require more than just traditional terminology. For years, state power has been studied as one of the central issues in international relations, with researchers generally evaluating states in the context of hard and soft power. However, the concept of "sharp power," introduced in 2017, has rapidly gained importance today, even though it initially did not receive much attention. This study specifically focuses on how terms such as propaganda, manipulation, and disinformation, which have been part of the use of force throughout history, have shaped the concept of complex power under the influence of technological advances and their impact on political decision-making processes. The research concludes that sharp power fundamentally relies on the manipulation of information, which can create instability in the political decision-making processes of states.