The geopolitical concept of hegemony is implicitly a game of keep-away: a smattering of nation states who've divided their mountains and oceans among themselves, battling for dominance in a constrained landscape. After the fall of the Soviet Union, America was left holding the ball, but – as the narrative goes – if we're not careful, Russia or China or India might sneak up and steal it away.
Think of the Nation State as a hierarchy and the Network State as a heterarchy and you'll see the transition technology is confederating with us.