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Geopolitical Coalition Planner

User Guide • Variable Geometry Strategic Analysis Tool

Contents

1. Overview

The Geopolitical Coalition Planner is a strategic analysis tool designed to help analysts, policymakers, and researchers model issue-based international coalitions using variable geometry diplomacy principles.

Unlike traditional alliance mapping, this tool recognises that nations form different partnerships depending on the specific issue at hand. A country might be a close partner on climate action but a competitor on trade policy.

Core Principle: Coalitions are issue-specific. The tool helps you identify optimal partners for each policy domain based on influence metrics and values alignment.

2. Getting Started

Step 1: Select Your Lead Country

Use the dropdown in the top-right corner to select the country whose perspective you wish to analyse. This becomes your "anchor" country for coalition building.

Step 2: Choose an Issue Domain

In the left sidebar, select from six issue domains:

Step 3: Build Your Coalition

Click on countries on the map or in the Recommended Partners list to add them to your coalition. The tool automatically calculates coalition strength and values alignment.

3. Map View

The interactive map is the primary workspace for coalition building.

Map Colours

Colour Meaning
Blue highlight Your selected lead country
Green highlight Countries in your coalition
Red tint Low values alignment (<40%) with your lead country
Default (dark) Neutral/potential partners

Navigation Controls

Country Interactions

Right Sidebar

Values vs Pragmatism Slider

Adjust this slider to weight recommendations:

4. Influence Analysis

This tab provides detailed rankings of all countries by their influence in the selected issue domain.

Influence Score Components

Each country's influence score is calculated from multiple weighted factors specific to the issue domain. For example, Semiconductors influence considers:

Using the Rankings

The bar chart shows countries ranked by influence. Use this to identify which nations are most important to have in (or exclude from) a coalition on the selected issue.

5. Scenarios

The Scenarios tab provides automated coalition analysis and allows you to save custom configurations.

Coalition Scenario Comparison

The tool automatically generates three optimised coalition scenarios based on your selected lead country and issue domain:

Scenario Strategy Best For
Maximum Values Partners with >70% values alignment Long-term, stable alliances with like-minded nations
Maximum Influence Top 5 partners by influence score Maximum impact regardless of political alignment
Balanced Approach Optimised for both factors Pragmatic coalitions balancing power and compatibility

Each scenario card displays the recommended countries, their scores, and the total coalition strength. Use these as starting points or benchmarks for your own coalition building.

Your Current Coalition

Below the comparison cards, you'll see a summary of your active coalition showing:

Saving Custom Scenarios

  1. Build your coalition in the Map view
  2. Switch to the Scenarios tab
  3. Click "Save Current"
  4. Your scenario appears in the Saved Scenarios list

Loading a Scenario

Click on any saved scenario card to restore that coalition configuration.

Tip: Scenarios are saved to your browser's local storage. They persist between sessions but are specific to your device.
Tip: The auto-generated scenarios update instantly when you change your lead country or issue domain — useful for quickly comparing strategies across different contexts.

6. Data Sources

The Data Sources tab provides transparency about where metrics and scores originate.

Source Categories

Note: This prototype uses representative sample data. A production version would integrate live data feeds from authoritative sources.

7. Exporting Visualisations

Create shareable coalition visualisations for presentations and reports.

To Export:

  1. Build your coalition in the Map view
  2. Click "Export Visualisation" in the right sidebar
  3. Review the preview card
  4. Choose "Download PNG" or "Copy to Clipboard"

Export Card Contents

8. Key Concepts

Variable Geometry Diplomacy

The principle that nations form different partnerships depending on the specific issue. Unlike fixed alliances, coalitions are fluid and issue-specific.

Influence Score

A composite metric (0-100) measuring a country's capacity to affect outcomes in a specific issue domain. Higher scores indicate greater ability to shape international policy.

Values Alignment

A percentage (0-100%) measuring how closely two countries' governance systems, political values, and policy preferences align. Calculated from:

Coalition Strength

The aggregate influence of all coalition members, calculated as:

Strength = Sum of (Member Influence × Commitment Level × Values Weight)

9. Tips & Best Practices

Start with the issue, not the allies. Select your issue domain first, then identify partners. The optimal coalition varies significantly by policy area.
Balance influence and alignment. High-influence partners with low values alignment may be unreliable. Use the slider to find the right balance for your analysis.
Consider exclusions. Sometimes knowing who to exclude is as important as who to include. Countries with low alignment (red tint) may actively oppose your coalition's goals.
Save frequently. Use the Scenarios feature to preserve interesting coalition configurations as you explore different strategies.
Check the data. Use the Data Sources tab and country detail modals to understand what drives each score. This helps you assess confidence in the analysis.

Geopolitical Coalition Planner • Prototype v4
For feedback and enquiries, contact the development team.