Rapid international change is not unique to the present. The Great White Fleet sailed amid rising and falling powers, shifting relationships, and uncertain limits on action. That environment contrasts with the Cold War, when nuclear deterrence and stable alliance structures constrained many forms of direct competition. In a messier multipolar system, routine naval presence can communicate commitments before crises harden into conflict.
Chapter · 31:57-33:28
Multipolar instability increases the value of presence
The Great White Fleet operated in a fluid multipolar system, a useful comparison for maritime signalling after the Cold War's relatively fixed alliance structure.