In the new developments of international politics, the increasing costs of classical wars, the ineffectiveness of diplomatic tools, and the new threats have led governments to use alternative strategies. the "decapitation strategy" as a strategy for the targeted elimination of political and military leaders has become one of the most important tools for exercising power and coercive diplomacy. The main issue of this research is to explain why the decapitation strategy is preferred over conventional wars in contemporary international politics. The aim of the research is to analyze the position, logic, and consequences of this strategy within the framework of rational choice theory. question of the research is what is the decapitation strategy and why do governments prefer it to classical wars in new international developments? The research hypothesis is also based on the premise that governments, based on the rational choice theory of cost-benefit and in order to avoid the extensive costs of wars of attrition, consider the elimination of the top of the power pyramid to be the most effective tool for changing the behavior of their rivals. The research findings show that hierarchical systems are more vulnerable, but network structures have a greater capacity to sustain resistance.