Soft‑power retreat creates vacuums

When a major power withdraws its military footprint and development presence, local civil‑society ecosystems (NGOs, university programs, cultural exchanges) atrophy quickly, leaving physical and institutional mausoleums and opening space for rival influence or authoritarian consolidation. — This reframes geopolitical strategy to include not just military logistics but sustained cultural and civic engagement as a form of statecraft—withdrawal has measurable, local political costs that cascade into regional alignment and governance outcomes.