This AI-generated conversation was based off this paper I wrote.

Beneath the surface of geopolitics lie the deeper stories civilizations tell themselves — their myths. The West builds alliances through reason, contracts, and law, seeing order as something constructed. The East, shaped by Confucian harmony, sees order as something cultivated.

Through this lens, we discover why the Western blueprint of rational cooperation never fully resonated in Asia, and how these ancient philosophies still shape today’s global balance.

This episode reveals a profound truth: stability doesn’t always come from structure — sometimes it comes from rhythm.

Highlights

-Why Asia rejected Western-style collective defense pacts after World War II

-The difference between Enlightenment rationalism and Confucian harmony

-How “myth” shapes national identity and international behavior

-NATO as a product of the Western Enlightenment worldview

-SEATO’s failure as a clash of cultural philosophies

-The Confucian concept of balance and relational order

-Asia’s long peace without binding military treaties

-The U.S. “hub and spokes” model and its cultural implications

-How China’s historic moral centrality has evolved

-Why mythic literacy may be essential for future diplomacy

Resources Mentioned

Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Stanley Tambiah, The Galactic Polity

David Kang, Getting Asia Wrong and International Order in Historical East Asia

Charles Hemmer & Peter Katzenstein, “Why is There No NATO in Asia?”

Jason Josephson-Storm, The Myth of Disenchantment

Conclusion

Asia’s peace without alliances isn’t a mystery — it’s a reflection of a worldview that values harmony over hierarchy, relationship over contract. Understanding these civilizational myths isn’t just academic; it’s strategic. The future of diplomacy may depend not on who builds the strongest alliance, but who listens most deeply to the stories beneath them.

#Geopolitics #AsiaPacific #EastMeetsWest #CulturalWorldviews #MythAndMeaning #InternationalRelations #PhilosophyOfPower #GlobalDiplomacy #ConfucianOrder #WellThatsADeepSubject