From totality to hybridity and beyond... The challenges of state security systems in the context of the info-communication revolutions

Adam Farkas^*Laszlo Vikman^*

• Széchenyi István University, Gyor, Hungary

Contemporary security is increasingly defined by a matrix of hybrid threats, driven by info-communication revolutions that blur the lines between war and peace. Mainstream literature typically explains these challenges through the concept of 'hybridity,' focusing on post-Cold War technological and tactical novelties. However, this approach often lacks deeper historical and state-theoretical grounding. This study proposes a new theoretical framework by drawing a parallel between the current security environment and the 20th-century transformations analyzed by Carl Schmitt. We argue that the defining characteristic of contemporary security is not 'hybridity' but 'totality.' By reinterpreting Schmitt's concepts of the 'total state' and the 'partisan,' we situate today's challenges within a longer historical process of societal and political totalization, accelerated by the info-communication revolution. The analysis employs a qualitative methodology combining theoretical synthesis, historical-comparative analysis, and conceptual critique. Our analysis identifies a 'total security environment' characterized by three key attributes: (1) the complete fusion of military, economic, social, and informational domains; (2) the collapse of spatial and temporal constraints on state and non-state action; and (3) the systemic vulnerability of the state's own normative and legal foundations. We demonstrate that hybrid threats are a logical manifestation of this total environment, representing 'total threats' that demand 'total responses.' By foregrounding 'totality' over 'hybridity,' this study provides a novel foundation for understanding and addressing contemporary security challenges. It suggests that effective solutions require moving This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article beyond tactical countermeasures and rethinking statehood itself, focusing on systemic resilience, adaptable governance models, and societal preparedness. The historical experiences of previous security paradigm shifts offer crucial patterns for navigating this new era of total security.