Applying The Quyen Doctrine: A Structural Framework of Gainsions to War, International Conflict, and Strategic Realignment

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Authors: Văn Quyền Trần
Cited by: 0

Abstract

This paper applies The Quyen Doctrine: A Structural Framework of Gainsions to the study of war and international conflict. Rather than interpreting war as a failure of morality, diplomacy, or rational judgment, the Doctrine reframes conflict as a structural phenomenon driven by layered Gainsional forces—Biological, Psychological, Material, and Existential. Through this lens, states do not simply “choose” war; they are pulled into it by internal structural pressures that demand coherence, survival, and meaning. The paper distinguishes two fundamental actors in war dynamics: The Defender, whose Existential Anchor allows the system to convert biological sacrifice into structural survival, creating effectively infinite resistance pressure. The Aggressor, a structural investor whose continuation in war depends on sustaining a viable Expected Return matrix; once Return collapses, war becomes mechanically unsustainable regardless of remaining capacity. Peace is also reconceptualized not as a moral achievement but as a structural equilibrium. The paper identifies multiple forms of peace including frozen peace, humiliation peace, exhaustion-induced pause, and rare structural realignment. A demonstrative case study of the Vietnam War illustrates Gainsional asymmetry in practice, showing why an Infinite-Stake Defender can outlast a finite-return Aggressor. By replacing psychological intention and moral judgment with structural mechanics, this paper offers a diagnostic framework for understanding escalation durability, collapse points, post-conflict stability, and the structural evolution of future conflicts.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Flannery O'Connor and Thomas Merton Nuclear Issues and Defense Conflict Management and Negotiation

Publication details

Journal / source
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Publication date
3 January 2026
Language
EN