Superpower lifecycle and their ends – Entropy , Social structure and Global order change

By Shahab Sabahi
Energy and Environment - Policy analysis research group

One of my quest was to study the causes and driving forces of society’s developments. Over the course of history, civilizations and empires emerged, developed and vanished or reshaped. The process resembles the human being life cycle. In fact it is.
We, human being, are the block of our societies. Not surprise, societies must behave in a way we do and desire. Societies are living systems and dynamically changed.    
Dynamic systems are always poised to adapt and change in response to their external forces. Their components respond directly to outside forces, but they also respond indirectly to internal processes that are controlled by the interactions of their components. Societies are kind of dynamic systems. Societies and ecosystem are dynamic systems. Socio-economic system and ecosystem are steadily interacting with each other. The stability of system interactions is often defined as an equilibrium condition that can rapidly recover from perturbation and return to an intact structure. The equilibrium condition can oscillate over time and space. Most dynamic systems can be characterized by some degree of stability when disturbed, particularly at the scale of time and space in which human being typically observe them. Some dynamic systems can exist in non-equilibrium and be in a persistent state of evolution to different states.
In short, like other systems, empires and societies are ruled by the entropy. They come to existence, grow efficient, develop, exercise powers, exploit surroundings, corrupt, loose control, and may be vanished.  Look below the four-step evolutionary story of empires  
Emergence: In this state, hero, nobles, superpower and opportunists colonize in places that were previously inhospitable or unattainable. This state usually follows some sort of threshold that allows for the introduction of new communities. It increases the cumulative efficiency
Development: Second step, the communities that have established footholds following colonisations have matured and exhibit efficient use of resources for the development. Social networks have been optimized and well-established and tend to function efficiently. It tends to make a complex system. Small perturbations and oscillations between states can occur; however, primary functions and communities are relatively in equilibrium.
Decline: Now the complexity of the system leads the whole system to a vulnerable state. Significant physical events result in an often catastrophic system alteration. These events include storms, disease, or invasion by other superpower or competing communities.
Reorganization: Finally, as a consequence of these significant perturbations, the system reorganizes. Entropy law implies its rule and pushes reorganization result in a different, simpler, flexible system (adaptation) or entirely replace the system and the new system may not look like its ancestor!!!!