Tag: power struggle

In politics as in physics, energy without work becomes wasted heat. A statesman may radiate heat—boasts, ultimatums, and gusts of indignation—yet accomplish little if no force is actually applied along a clear line of action. Over time, the system notices. Entropy, in this case, takes the form of diminishing credibility.

Consider a leader fond of superlatives, negotiating with a hard, continental power on his frontier—an autocracy that redraws maps … Read the rest