For decades, we told ourselves that global politics were moving – slowly and imperfectly – toward rules, cooperation, and shared norms. Today, that narrative is collapsing. Wars of conquest are again pursued as legitimate tools of state power, mass civilian casualties are framed as “collateral damage,” and violations of international law increasingly go unpunished. Military spending is rising, diplomacy is sidelined, and power is performed through domination rather than restraint.
This shift is not only geopolitical; it is cultural and deeply gendered. A model of “alpha politics” is re-emerging, one in which leadership is defined through aggressive masculinity: strength is equated with the ability to impose one’s will, while restraint, negotiation, and accountability are reframed as weakness. Within this logic, power no longer operates within the limits of law; it becomes the source of law itself. The same worldview spills inward, reshaping how societies imagine leadership, authority, and masculinity more broadly.
This raises a pressing question: why is domination being celebrated as strength once again, and what does this reveal about the kind of world we are actively constructing?
It is interesting to note that the very notion of “alpha” leadership rests not on biological fact, but on a social construct. The idea originates in early studies of wolves observed in captivity, where unrelated animals were forced into artificial hierarchies. Subsequent research has shown that wolf packs in the wild are cooperative family units, not dominance-based systems, and that the concept of the “alpha” does not meaningfully describe their social organization.
Notably, the researcher who first popularized the term, David Mech, later rejected it himself, acknowledging that it misrepresented how wolves actually live. Yet the myth persists because it offers a convenient naturalization of hierarchy, transforming aggression and domination into biological destiny rather than political choice.
Trump and the Politics of Domination
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s genocide in Palestine, and the erosion of accountability mechanisms within the international system all point to a world where force increasingly replaces rules. The return of Donald Trump to the center of global politics with his re-election has crystallized this trend dramatically. Under what is now dubbed the “Doctrine Donroe” (Nicas, 2025), Trump champions geopolitics rooted in spheres of influence and coercion, positioning U.S. dominance over the Western Hemisphere as a guiding principle. Trump even asserted in a New York Times interview that he had “no need for international law,” claiming that his only limit was his “own morality” (NYT, 2026).
The U.S. attack on Venezuela exemplifies this approach: an illegal intervention presented openly as an act of control over a weaker country and its resources, marking a symbolic rupture with the post-1945 order (Cau, 2026). Trump’s politics of domination mirror those of other strongmen, from Vladimir Putin to Xi Jinping, and reinforce a dangerous precedent: when the powerful refuse rules, international law becomes optional, and the world drifts toward a new normal governed by the law of the strongest.
The Manosphere Effect: Masculine Models of Power and Leadership
To understand why this new wave of Alpha politics is thriving, we have to examine the cultural processes and social tensions behind it. One of the key spaces where this dynamic takes root is the “manosphere.” This term refers to a network of online communities that glorify hierarchical masculinity, reject gender equality, and portray male dominance as both natural and under threat (Grey Ellis, 2019).
Once marginal, these cultures, ranging from incel spaces to alpha male and anti-feminist rhetoric, have increasingly been normalized, reframing personal frustration as political grievance.
Within this worldview, feminism becomes an enemy, and power is redefined not as responsibility but as moral authority to be reclaimed, defended, and imposed.
While their tones and strategies differ, they converge on a core assumption: women’s emancipation, feminist movements, and inclusion policies are responsible for men’s loss of status, power, and recognition. Structural inequalities, economic precarity, and social isolation would thus become “consequences” of gender equality.
Across these spaces, the “alpha male” emerges as a political archetype, a figure who does not negotiate, justify, or restrain himself, but imposes.
The manosphere does not propose a future, but a restoration: it mobilises nostalgia for an imagined past in which gender roles were fixed and male authority went unchallenged. Equality is framed as artificial, modern and imposed from above; masculinity by contrast, is portrayed as timeless and as the authentic order of things.
Corporate Power and the Normalization of Domination
The effects of this masculinist turn extend well beyond political rhetoric, reshaping economic norms and cultural practices. Corporate actors increasingly mirror these values. Meta offers a striking example: after years of publicly aligning itself with inclusion and diversity, the company has shifted its discourse toward celebrating “masculine energy,” aggression, and competitiveness as key drivers of success (Petrella, 2025).
At the same time, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are being scaled back, framed as strategic adaptations to a political and cultural climate that once again legitimizes hierarchy. Inclusion is rebranded as expendable, while competitiveness and domination are recast as neutral — or even necessary — qualities of leadership.
The result is a self-reinforcing cycle in which domination is legitimized by political leadership, amplified by online subcultures, and normalized within corporate behavior. In this context, the influence of the manosphere lies not only in its visibility, but in its structural compatibility with a system where power prevails over rights and authority no longer requires justification.
What can we do?
In a world increasingly shaped by unilateral force, promoting gender equality is not merely a moral stance — it is a political and strategic imperative. It directly challenges the assumption that strength must be violent, coercive, or exclusionary, and it insists instead that sustainable peace and democratic legitimacy depend on participation, accountability, and the protection of rights for all.
Alpha politics thrives on silence. Let’s break it together. At EDUXO, we believe education is the most powerful tool to dismantle cultures of domination. This moment demands a renewed focus on how we educate about leadership, looking at gender as a fundamental lens.
Here’s how you can act today:
- Start the conversation. Use EDUXO’s resources to host classroom or community discussions, creating spaces where dialogue can foster awareness and transformation.Collaborate for impact. Partner with EDUXO to design programs that turn equality into practice, because systemic change starts with collective action. Projects such as our Love Education support young women in leadership and promote education for respect, dignity, and equality across Europe. We need your support!
- Join the movement. Become a volunteer and help us create learning experiences that challenge aggression and promote cooperation.
Article by: Martina Ferreccio e Marianna Ramelli.
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