In a departure from tradition in international relations, the  basic theoretical  assumption is that  all actors and entities are embedded in three interconnected systems or contexts, namely, the human system and its physical and social properties, the natural system and its life supporting properties and, more recently, the constructed cyber system with its enabling potentials for all actors and entities worldwide. 

Lateral pressure,  defined as the propensity of states to extend behavior and exert leverage outside territorial boundaries, often in the pursuit of power and influence in world politics and markets. To simplify, if unimpeded by internal or external conditions, lateral pressure leads to the expansion of external influence, consolidation of competing interests, and intersection of spheres of influence.

A major strength of the lateral pressure framework lies in its causal logic for:

• Linking the internal growth of a state’s “master variables” – people, technology, resources - to propensity for external expansion
• Exploring intervening economic, institutional, and political factors
• Demonstrating empirically the relative strength of these variables in overall state capacity,
• Situating the role of "time" throughout, and creating defining conditions for policies and decisions in the "real" as well as cyber domain.
• Locating and tracking shifts in spatial patters, of actors, actions, attributes, and outcomes.

Much of what we have learned so far is by exploring the  socio-political-strategic and environment connections. More recently I began to explore international relations in the cyber domain. However, the relationship between "real" and "cyber" is not self-evident. The core challenge is how to reason about international relations within the built "virtual" environment.