Mule and System: From Individual Mutation to System Constraints

Introduction

In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, the Mule is a memorable mutant individual—a deformed person with the ability to control minds, whose appearance disrupts the precise predictions of psychohistory, shifting the trajectory of the entire galaxy. However, when we examine international politics in the real world, we may discover a more complex phenomenon: it is not that individuals become “Mules” to break the system, but that the system determines actions, and individuals like the president are merely Mules. This article, based on in-depth discussions, explores the transition from the “Mule” metaphor to mechanisms of political constraints in reality.
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