El conflicto internacional en la zona gris: una propuesta teórica desde la perspectiva del realismo ofensivo

Abstract

This article offers a theorization of the international conflict in the gray zone, a recent term within the literature of strategic studies. To this end, the concept is settled by identifying its defining features based on a review of the existing literature. Secondly, the conflict in the gray zone is framed in John Mearsheimer’s theory of Offensive Realism. It studies the conflictual politics between great powers politics and the strategies they use to increase their power relative to one another. Thirdly, the strategic lines of action developed in the gray zone are identified, and their pros and cons are also analyzed. This third objective complements and extends Mearsheimer’s theoretical proposal, which explains the origin of the rivalry between great powers but pays less attention to the development of this rivalry. Thus, the concept of gray zone finds accommodation within the realist theory of international politics and, at the same time, enriches it.