Neutrality and Structural Instability across Multiple Systems

This article examines the concept of neutrality through an interdisciplinary framework integrating international political history, ancient state systems, social psychology, physics and Buddhist philosophy. Historical case studies including Cambodia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Laos demonstrate that states located in strategic positions between major powers often fail to maintain neutrality in practice despite official declarations. Similar patterns can be observed in ancient political systems, particularly among small states during the Chinese Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. At the behavioral level, social psychology theories such as Social Identity Theory and Realistic Conflict Theory suggest that individuals attempting to remain neutral in polarized environments frequently face pressure from both sides. In physics, concepts such as unstable equilibrium and spontaneous symmetry breaking illustrate how systems positioned between opposing forces tend to shift toward one side when even minor disturbances occur. Integrating these perspectives within the framework of Social Relativity Theory (SRT), the article argues that neutrality within a conflict field is structurally unstable unless the actor is positioned outside the relational forces that define the conflict system.