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Herbert London: Entropy And Foreign Policy

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, that relies on energy, states the every natural thermodynamic process proceeds with the sum of entropies of all bodies taking part in the process increasing. Entropy, in other words, is inevitable. In human relations, it is precisely what one wants to avoid. We struggle against entropy through hope, faith, determination and reason.

Yet if one were to engage in an objective examination of global conditions it would be reasonable to assert that we are in entropy. There is scarcely a stage on the international scene that isn’t in distress.

Currencies across the globe are in free fall with depreciation regarded as a way to gain trade advantage.

ISIS murders and continual advance in Syria and Iraq have created a immigrant crisis as thousands cross the Mediterranean seeking security. These staggering numbers could push the fragile economies of southern Europe over the edge leading to financial disaster.

The Middle East is a volcano ready to explode as Sunni and Shia forces are aligned in a potential religious war and artificial states such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq have deconstructed under pressure from ISIS, Iran, Russia and al Qaeda.  

China relying on a newly minted blue water navy has occupied a perimeter in the South China Sea that incorporates islands contested by Japan and the Philippines among others. Tensions have risen and incidents just short of a casus belli have occurred.

The United States once the balance wheel in the maintenance of global equilibrium, has surrendered its dominant role. Recognizing this withdrawal, the Russians have acted to fill the vacuum U.S. departure from foreign engagement has created. Russia has become the major force in the eastern Mediterranean and has become the arms supplier for Egypt and Saudi Arabia. A Russian-Chinese defense pact now vies for world hegemony with both nations operating vessels within twelve nautical miles of the Alaskan coast and the Atlantic seaboard, clearly testing American will.

At every corner of the globe where the U.S. once influenced regional stability, chaos is in the ascendency. A world in disarray is not a pretty sight, but the Obama administration has intentionally reduced U.S. involvement in foreign affairs believing the nation cannot afford the commitment and the globe is better off when the U.S. is less involved than it had been. This naïve reflection stands in stark relief to the actual picture of world conditions.

Our allies long for the day when the U.S. can be relied on. Allies from Japan to Egypt, the Philippines to Israel feel betrayed, left hanging out on a limb. For example, President Obama maintains the so-called Iran deal will establish regional security. To convince the allies this is the case, he has vowed to increase weapons delivery to them. Yet this need to assure our allies with weapons support belies the purpose of an agreement designed to promote regional stability. If security will be achieved with the deal, why is weapons support necessary?

Chaos is here. Perhaps leadership with a different orientation will restore the human desire to resist entropy. After all, hope is the harbinger for change. At the moment however, the globe is calling out for stability, but the forces of darkness dominate the horizon.

Herbert London is President of the London Center for Policy Research, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of the book The Transformational Decade (University Press of America). You can read all of Herb London’s commentaries at www.londoncenter.org

 The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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