This chapter sets out the methodological framework of the book, which introduces a new conceptualisation of influence as the inevitable outcome of power and hegemony. While previous chapters identified theoretical gaps in the Welsh School’s treatment of these concepts, this chapter seeks to establish the ontological and epistemological foundations necessary to address them. Drawing on critical social science and emancipatory realism, the study positions knowledge as inherently political and transformative, stressing the need to distinguish between theoretical reality and practical reality in analysing security. The ontological stance recognises the layered nature of reality, in which deeper structures and causal mechanisms shape empirical observation, while the epistemological approach emphasises emancipation as both method and outcome. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative case study design to investigate the influence of NATO and the UN on Turkish–Libyan relations. Five key turning points are selected to expose the ways in which power and hegemony manifest as influence across both internal and external dimensions of policy. The use of archival and secondary sources allows for the reconstruction of historical trajectories, while also illustrating the gap between theoretical and practical realities. The case study design, despite its limitations, provides an effective means of clarifying abstract concepts and identifying causal mechanisms within critical security studies. By grounding the inquiry in history, this chapter underscores the role of social sciences in addressing issues of peace and security. It argues that the reconceptualisation of influence requires attention to how knowledge, power, and hegemony interact to shape security outcomes, particularly in the MENA region. The Turkish–Libyan case, situated within the broader context of IOs’ interventions, is presented as a fertile ground for demonstrating how influence can be redirected from reproducing inequality toward emancipation.