Six Elements of Power: Cultural
I saved this one for last, because if you look at all the elements, this one element is influenced by and influences the others the most.
A Nation-State's Cultural Element of Power determines (to varying degrees) the nature of the Military Element. For instance it will be a major determinant in whether a Nation-State builds a military and support system that is technologically advanced and comparatively small (Qualitative Emphasis) or manpower intensive with simpler weaponry (Quantitative Emphasis).
China today could be said to be transforming from the latter to the former, and as part of that effort is trying to become a leading producer in modern technology. Whether their Cultural and Organizational Elements’ dependency on ‘One-Party’ rule can survive the transformation of their Economic Element will be interesting to watch. In the PRC (Communist China), we are seeing a Nation-State with all the Elements of Power under pressure to, or being willfully driven to, change without upsetting the Party’s stranglehold on all facets of the population’s existence. Yeah, they think they can avoid the Law of Unintended Consequences.
