How Power is

Balanced
a. Balance threat rather than power, so
distance, interdependence, and
ideology matter
b. External balancing through alliances
but risks dependency and requires
trust (NATO, Warsaw Pact for
example)
c. Internal balancing by building own
capacities (US-Soviet arms race)
 Degree
Degree of
of
Polarization
Polarization
a) Tightness of poles - all
states in one camp or other?
b) Discreteness of poles -
degree of interaction between
states on each side
c) Level of animosity - degree
of animosity
 BOP
BOP and
and War
War
oTruly unipolar system would make
major war less frequent, since one state
can prevent others from arming for war
oWar is most likely during transitions in
balance. Rising power gains strength,
challenges previously superior state
and, given newness of capabilities, war
occurs because each side thinks it can
win
 Morton
Morton Kaplan's
Kaplan's
Rules
Rules of
of BoP
BoP
1. All states act to increase capabilities
but prefer to negotiate rather than fight
2. All states fight rather than pass up an
opportunity to increase their
capabilities
3. All states stop fighting rather than
eliminate an essential state
4. All states act to oppose any
coalition or single state which
tends to assume a position of
dominance within the system
5. All states act to constrain states
who subscribe to supranational
organizing principles
6. All states permit defeated or
constrained states to re-enter the
system as potential partners
 BoP in the Modern
World
o Creation of superpowers, made it
impossible to negotiate individual
BoP
o Increasing disparity between
states has made maintaining BoP
very difficult
o Ideological positioning makes
switching sides very difficult in the
multi-polar world