Inpolitical science andpolitical history, the termpower vacuum, also known as apower void, is an analogy between a physicalvacuum to thepolitical condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has replaced them."[1] The situation can occur when agovernment has no identifiable centralpower orauthority, after collapse,retreat with no successor, or inability to govern due to several factors. The term is also often used inorganized crime when acrime family becomes vulnerable to competition.[2] Hereditary or statutoryorder of succession or effectivesuccession planning were common ways to resolve questions of succession to positions of power.[3]
China is the first country still existing to have been united other than Egypt, and has had repeated power vacuums throughout its history. China was first unified under emperorQin Shi Huang in 221 BCE, ushering in more than two millennia in which China was governed by one or more imperial dynasties. From the start, China has experienced power vacuums after dynasties have been toppled, usually resulting in civil wars between different factions vying to form the next dynasty or political regime. These have included but are not limited to theWarring States period (475-221 BC),Three Kingdoms (220-280 AD), theManchu conquest of China (1618-1683 AD), and theChinese Civil War (1927-1949 AD).[4]
During the course of theMing treasure voyages (1405–1433), the ChineseMing empire was the dominant political and military force within the Indian Ocean.[5] However, in 1433, the Chinese government withdrew theirtreasure fleet and thus left a large void within the Indian Ocean.[5]
In 2003, when theUnited States leda coalition to oustSaddam Hussein in theIraq War, the absence of an all-out Iraqi opposition force at war with government forces meant that once theBa'ath Party was removed, no local figures were on hand to immediately assume the now vacant administerial posts. For this reason,Paul Bremer was appointed by the United States government as the interim head of state to oversee the transition.[6]
In other western-led interventions such as inKosovo (1999) andLibya (2011) where the initial claim of justification in each case was a humanitarian matter, there had been active opposition fighting on the ground to oust the relevant governments (in the case of Kosovo, this meant removal of state forces from the desired territory rather than ousting the government itself). Subsequently, successor entities were immediately effective in Libya and Kosovo.[citation needed]
Power vacuums often occur infailed states sometimes referred to asFragile states where the state has lost the power to prevent its citizens from forming states within states, such as in post-communistMoldova'sTransnistria. The ongoingwar in Sudan is an example of a power vacuum in the aftermath of theSudanese revolution.[7]
The term "power vacuum" can be used a variety of contexts, to denote an absence of leadership in any organization or group that normally functions with leaders.[8] The term is most commonly used in political contexts (nation, state, province) but can also be applied to businesses, social groups, or communities.[9][10]
