(worth repeating) ---Power vacuums are much worse than abuses of power.--- Its contrary to our psychology, since we tend to get very wrapped up in abuses of power (European colonialism, current Chinese conquest of their region, American policing of the postwar consensus). Especially progressives, but only to a slightly lesser extent, libertarians. Power vacuums drastically decrease all opportunity costs in exchange for unpredictable risk. Power structures increase both opportunity costs, and the predictability of risk. And history shows that (a) war for control of trade routes is one of the best possible investments you can make after formal institutions of cooperation (trust, property, contract, law, weights and measures), and (b) nearly all peoples will gladly pay risks of expansion of territory and trade route. (c) These changes produce our great conflicts. The postwar era, when viewed by historians, will appear as a short term anglo victory after the great european civil wars in which the naval anglo offshoot of germanic civilization, went to war with its army just as did Athens and Sparta, with the same consequences. However, Greece managed to radically transform the world far after its loss of military and economic power. Anglo civilization will apparently do the same: fade. Unless we choose to change it. Cheers.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 11:31:20 +0000
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