Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of International Relations: An Islamic Outlook on Youth with Disabilities as Agents of Global Change

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping the architecture of international relations, reconfiguring diplomacy, military doctrine, economic competition, surveillance regimes, and global governance structures. As algorithmic systems increasingly mediate state authority, institutional power, and transnational flows, the international system is undergoing a structural transformation that rivals the Westphalian revolution in significance. Yet within this technological reconfiguration, youth with disabilities remain systemically marginalized—frequently framed as passive recipients of assistive innovation rather than as normative and institutional contributors to global order formation. This research advances a comprehensive civilizational and normative intervention. It argues that Islamic political thought provides a sophisticated ethical framework capable of guiding AI governance toward justice-centered inclusion. Drawing upon classical and contemporary International Relations (IR) theory, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), the objectives of Islamic law (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah), critical disability studies, and global governance scholarship, this study proposes that youth with disabilities must be institutionalized as co-architects of ethical AI systems rather than peripheral beneficiaries. The paper introduces a measurable accountability instrument—the Global Disability Political Participation Index (GDPPI)—designed to evaluate state-level inclusion within AI governance frameworks. A pilot comparative analysis demonstrates the operational viability of the index as both a diplomatic benchmarking tool and a reform diagnostic mechanism. The research further elaborates detailed institutional proposals for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and a strategic roadmap for Saudi Arabia's leadership in inclusive AI governance. Grounded in Islamic principles of justice (ʿadl), human dignity (karāmah), stewardship (khilāfah), and public welfare (maṣlaḥah), this study contends that technological transformation must remain subordinate to moral responsibility. Ethical AI governance requires structural participation rather than symbolic representation. By integrating Islamic ethical reasoning with contemporary IR analysis, this research offers a normative pathway for inclusive global order formation in the age of intelligent machines.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Islamic Ethics, Disability Studies, International Relations, Global Governance, Youth Participation, Saudi Arabia, OIC, Algorithmic Justice.