The HIR Academic Writing Contest 2026 challenges high school students to engage with complex global issues, with Theme B: Security in a Multipolar World, focusing on how power, conflict, and cooperation are evolving in today’s fragmented international system. Rather than simply describing security challenges, students are expected to analyze how these issues function differently in a multipolar world, where multiple actors, emerging technologies, and shifting alliances reshape global dynamics.
This guide explains how to approach Theme B effectively by developing a clear, argument-driven essay grounded in real-world examples and credible evidence. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on a specific issue, applying a multipolarity framework, and analyzing institutional gaps and global implications.
1. Understanding Theme B: Security in a Multipolar World
“Nations face new challenges in managing conflict, deterrence, and cooperation. We encourage analysis of how military technology, shifting alliances, and emerging powers are transforming international security. Students may look at topics such as cyber warfare, drones and autonomous weapons, nuclear deterrence, regional arms races, space security, or the role of international institutions in preventing conflict.”
What This Theme Is About
A keyword in this prompt is “multipolar.” Your essay should discuss the security issue and how it changes in a world where power is spread across multiple actors.
We are no longer in a world dominated by a single superpower (unipolar) or two competing blocs (bipolar). Instead, today’s system is increasingly multipolar, with multiple influential actors, including the United States, China, the European Union, and India, shaping global outcomes.
This shift creates new types of risks:
- More actors → more complex coordination: With more players involved, coordination becomes harder, alliances are more fluid, and shared rules are more difficult to maintain.
- More advanced technology → lower barriers to conflict: Advances in technology, particularly in areas like cyber warfare and autonomous weapons, are lowering the barriers to conflict, allowing states and even smaller actors to exert influence in new ways.
Unlock Your Writing Potential: Students in Our Writing Competition Preparation Class Are More Likely to Secure Awards
2. Choose Your Topic
Choosing the right topic is one of the most important steps for Theme B, because a strong topic creates space for meaningful analysis of power, conflict, and global dynamics.
A common mistake is selecting a broad or familiar issue and stopping at description. For example, writing about “cyber warfare and its global risks” may seem like a strong choice, but it often leads to general observations about threats and vulnerabilities. Without a clear analytical angle, the essay can quickly become descriptive rather than argumentative.
A stronger approach introduces a specific lens, context, and argument: “Cyber warfare is enabling smaller states to challenge traditional military powers, reshaping deterrence in a multipolar system where technological capability can outweigh conventional strength.”
This works better because it focuses on a specific mechanism (cyber warfare), makes a clear claim about shifting power dynamics, and connects the issue directly to multipolarity.
Strong topics in Theme B often combine:
- One specific security issue (e.g., drones, nuclear deterrence, space security)
- One analytical lens (e.g., power asymmetry, institutional weakness, technological disruption)
- One clear argument about how global security is changing
Ultimately, the best topics are not the most popular ones, but those that allow you to ask deeper questions about who holds power, how that power is challenged, and what this reveals about the evolving structure of the international system.
3. Recommended Essay Structure
Start with a concrete, real-world event
Open your essay with a specific, recent, and verifiable example, such as a cyberattack on critical infrastructure, a drone strike in an ongoing conflict, a satellite-related incident, or a shift in military alliances. This serves as both a compelling hook and clear evidence that your topic is relevant. Starting with a real case also helps ground your analysis in reality rather than abstraction.
Establish the multipolar context
After introducing your example, zoom out to explain the broader global context. How is today’s distribution of power different from the past? Why does this issue look different in a multipolar world compared to a unipolar or bipolar one? Highlight key dynamics, such as increased competition, fragmented alliances, and the growing influence of regional powers. This step is critical for connecting your topic to Theme B’s core requirement.
Develop your core argument with evidence
Once the context is clear, build your central argument and support it with strong evidence. Use credible sources such as policy documents, reports from international organizations, think tank analyses, academic research, and reliable datasets. Prioritize recent sources whenever possible to demonstrate awareness of current developments and strengthen the relevance of your claims.
Analyze institutions and governance gaps
A strong essay should also evaluate the role of international institutions and regulatory frameworks. What agreements or organizations currently exist to manage this issue? Why are they insufficient? Where are the gaps in enforcement or coordination? For example, you might want to examine why existing treaties struggle to regulate cyber warfare or autonomous weapons. This analysis provides a deeper understanding of systemic challenges, not just surface-level problems.
Propose forward-looking insights
End your essay by addressing: What should change? What policies or frameworks could improve the situation? What does the future of global security look like? Strong essays don’t just diagnose problems; they offer direction.
78% of Aralia Students Win Prizes in the HIR Academic Writing Competition
4. Who Should Choose Theme B?
Theme B is best suited for students who are curious about how the world works at a geopolitical level and are interested in topics such as international relations, global conflict, and diplomacy. If you enjoy following current events, such as regional conflicts, shifting alliances, or debates around military technology, this theme provides an excellent opportunity to turn that interest into a structured, analytical argument.
Students considering future studies in fields such as political science, international relations, public policy, or global studies may find Theme B particularly rewarding. It allows you to engage with real-world issues while developing critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and policy analysis skills that are highly valued in both academic and professional settings.
However, Theme B is also one of the more intellectually demanding options. It requires you to move beyond describing events and analyze how they are shaped by a multipolar global system. This means that you should feel comfortable working with complex ideas, comparing different global actors, and evaluating how power is distributed and contested.
Theme B from the Senior category of HIR Academic Writing Contest 2026 challenges students to engage with one of the most important questions of our time: how security is evolving in an increasingly complex and fragmented world. When approached thoughtfully, Theme B offers students a platform to engage meaningfully with real-world issues and begin thinking like future researchers, policymakers, and leaders.
Related Resource:
- 2026 Theme Analysis: Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
- Junior Theme Analysis for the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest 2026
- Senior Theme A Analysis for the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest 2026
- Senior Theme C Analysis for the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest 2026
Preparing for HIR with Expert Instructors
If you’re looking for structured guidance, Aralia’s HIR Academic Writing Contest preparation program offers you support at every stage: from idea development to final submission.
Aralia students have earned multiple Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, as well as numerous High Commendations and Excellence in Writing distinctions. With the right mentorship and preparation, students can significantly strengthen their writing and their chances of success.
HIR Academic Writing Contest Prep
Prepare for the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest with an advanced global affairs course designed to help students craft a standout 800–1,200-word academic essay. Through expert instruction, analytical training, and hands-on writing workshops, students develop critical thinking and research skills.
