Interactive explainer

The Spykman Trap

The paradox where a hegemonic power becomes trapped by the disproportionate cost of securing its own geostrategic networks.

The theory's heuristic
Trap Potential rises as C + K + G rise while S falls
INCREASING POTENTIAL FOR STRATEGIC ENTRAPMENT TRAP ZONE CONTAINED FORMING HIGH MAXIMUM TRAP POTENTIAL SYSTEM TESTED
Trap potential System Tested
TRAP CONDITIONS: CONTAINED

The configuration remains buffered. At least one of the formula's key conditions is still limiting the potential for strategic entrapment.

How to read the plot: the Trap field increases from left to right. The system moves across the field as C (strategic centrality), K (critical-function concentration) and G (concentration of strategic stewardship) rise, while S (real substitutability) falls. The marker grows as qualitative Trap potential rises. The graphic is a conceptual heuristic, not a quantitative index.