Balance of Power IR

8/18/2019 Balance of Power IR

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of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/

Balance of Power: eaning!"ature! ethods and #elevance by Dinesh International Politics

$dvertisements:

“Whenever the term Balance of Power is used without qualification, it refers to

an actual state of affairs in which power is distributed among nations with

approximately equality” — ans! "! #orgenthau!

“$nmanaged struggle for power can be a source of war in international

relations!”

Such a realization stands universally recognized and it has led to the

development of certain devices of power management. One such device has

been Balance of Power.

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In fact, Balance of Power has been traditionally an important fact of

international relations. It has been guiding the decisions and policies of

nations. Since the 1th century Several scholars regard it as the best guide

for securing the goals of national interest without getting involved in war. !pto

the first half of twentieth century, Balance of Power was regarded as being the

only "nown modern device of international management of power.

“Balance of Power is a nearly fundamental law of politics as it is possible to

find!” —#artin Wright

Palmer and Per"ins also hold that balance of power principle has been #a

basic principle of international relations.

What is Balance of Power?

It is indeed very difficult to define Balance of Power. It has been defined it

differently by different scholars.

#$he trouble with Balance of Power is not that it has no meaning, but that ithas too many meanings.% &Innis '. (laude )r.

Some writers define it in terms of e*uilibrium where as others in terms of

#preponderance% or #dise*uilibrium%. Some define it as a principle of action

while others define it as a policy or system.

%ome Popular &efinitions of Balance of Power:

+1 #Balance of Power is such a -ust e*uilibrium/ in power among the

members of the family of nations as will prevent any one of them from

becoming sufficiently strong to enforce its will upon others.% &Sidney B. 0ay


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+ #Balance of Power is an e*uilibrium or a certain amount of stability in

power relations that under favourable conditions is produced by an alliance of

states or by other devices.% &2eorge Schwarzenberger

+3 #Balance of Power is such a system in which some nations regulate their

power relations without any interference by any big power. 4s such it is a

decentralized system in which power and policies remain in the hands of

constituting units.% &Inis (laude

+5 Balance of Power means #the maintenance of such a ust e*uilibrium

between the members of the family of nations as should prevent any one of

them from becoming sufficiently strong to impose its will upon the rest.% &'ord

(astlereagh

+6 #7henever the term Balance of Power is used without *ualification, it

refers to an actual state of affairs in which power is distributed among nations

with appro8imately e*uality.% &9ans. ). :orgenthau

4ll these definitions clearly reflect that Balance of Power is defined differently

by different scholars. It is very difficult to give or select a uniformly acceptable

definition. $his difficultly ma"es it essential for us to study the features of

Balance of Power.

Nature of Balance of Power

Palmer and Per"ins describe several maor features of Balance of Power

+BOP;

1. Some Sort of Equilibrium in Power Relations:


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In a balance of power system, the big states or powerful states are the

players. $he small states or less powerful states are either spectators or the

victims of the game.

0. ulti!licit" of States as an Essential on#ition:

Balance of Power system operates when there are present a number of maor

powers, each of which is determined to maintain a particular balance or

e*uilibrium in their power relations.

3. National Interest is its Basis:

Balance of Power is a policy that can be adopted by any state. $he real basis

that leads to this policy is national interest in a given environment.

'he (olden $ge of B)P:

$he period of 115 was the golden age of Balance of Power. ?uring this

period, it was regarded as a nearly fundamental law of international relations.

It bro"e down due the outbrea" of 0irst 7orld 7ar in 1>15. It was tried to be

unsuccessfully revived during 1>1>= 1>3>. 9owever, the attempt failed and

the world had to bear the Second 7orld 7ar.

$he Second 7orld 7ar +1>3>=56 produced several structural changes in the

international system as well as in the balance of power system. !nder the

impact of these changes, the Balance of Power system lost much of its

relevance as a device of power management. It is now lost much of its

relevance in international relations.

$n#erl"in/ Princi!al &ssum!tions an# Postulates ofBalance of Power:


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$he Balance of Power rests upon several fundamental postulates and

assumptions.

4a5 )i'e Princi!al &ssum!tions:

+1 0irstly, Balance of Power assumes that states are determined to protect

their vital rights and interests by all means, including war.

+ Secondly, vital interests of the states are threatened.

+3 $he relative power position of states can be measured with a degree of

accuracy.

+5 Balance of Power assumes that #balance% will either deter the threatening

state from launching an attac" or permit the victim to avoid defeat if an attac"

should occur.

+6 $he statesmen can, and they do ma"e foreign policy decisions intelligently

on basis of power considerations.

4b5 a6or Postulates of Balance of Power:

+1 4 nation following balance of power is prepared to change its alliances or

treaties if the circumstances may so demand.

+ 7hen a nation finds that a particular preponderance of power is increasing

menacingly, it gets prepared to go to war for maintaining the balance.

+3 Balance of Power postulates that no nation is to be totally eliminated in

war. 7ar is aimed only at the wea"ening of power of the violator of the

balance. 4fter war a new balance of power system is achieved. $he basic

principle of Balance of Power is that e8cessive power anywhere in the system


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is a threat to the e8istence of others and that the most effective antidote to

power is power.

0rom the above discussion of the features, assumptions, postulates and

purposes of Balance of Power, it becomes clear that Balance of power is a

device of power management which is used by several maor powers for

maintaining a balance in their power relations.

In this process they maintain a sort of e*uilibrium in their power relations and

do not permit any state to violate the Balance. In case any state tries to

disturb or violate the balance of power, the other states individually or

collectively or is a group can ta"e action, including war, for wea"ening the

power of the violator as well as for restoring the balance.

etho#s of Balance of Power:

Balance of Power is not automatic@ it has to be secured by the states following

this policy. In fact, there are several methods by which states try to secure and

maintain balance of power. #Balance of Power is a game which is played by

actors with the help of several devices.%

:aor :ethods of Balance of Power;

I. om!ensation:

It is also "nown as territorial compensation. It usually entails the anne8ation or

division of the territory of the state whose power is considered dangerous for

the balance. In the 1th and 1


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0or e8amples the three partitions of Poland in 1, 1>3 and 1>6 were

based upon the principle of compensation. 4ustria, Prussia and Aussia

agreed to divide Polish territory in such a way that the distribution of power

among them would be appro8imately the same.

In the latter part of the 1>th century, and after each of the two world wars of

the th century, territorial compensation was used as a device for wea"ening

the powers of the states whose actions had led to a violation of the balance. It

was applied by the colonial powers for ustifying their actions aimed at

maintaining their imperial possessions.

II. &lliances an# ounter &lliances:

4lliance=ma"ing are regarded as a principal method of balance of power.

4lliance is a device by which a combination of nations creates a favourable

balance of power by entering into military or security pacts aimed at

augmenting their own strength vis=a=vis the power of their opponents.

9owever, an alliance among a group of nations, almost always, leads to the

establishment of a counter alliance by the opponents. 9istory is full of

e8amples of such alliances and counter alliances.

7henever any nation threatened the balance of Curope, other states formed

alliances against it and were usually able to curb the power of the over=

ambitious state. 4fter the $riple 4lliance of 156 period, alliances li"e D4$O, SC4$O, 7arsaw Pact emerged as

devices of Balance of Power. $he first two were established by the !S4 and


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the third one was organised by the erstwhile !SSA for strengthening their

respective power positions in the era of cold war.

III. Inter'ention an# Non7inter'ention:

#Intervention is a dictatorial interference in the internal affairs of another

stateEstates with a view to change or maintain a particular desired situation

which is considered to be harmful or useful to the competing opponents.

Some times during a war between two states no attempt is made by other

states to intervene. $his is done for ma"ing the two warring states wea"er.

4s such intervention and non=intervention are used as devices of Balance of

Power. :ostly it is used by a maor power for regaining an old ally or for

pic"ing up a new ally or for imposing a desired situation on other states.

British intervention in 2reece, the !S intervention is 2renada, Dicaragua,

(uba, Forea, Gietnam, and +Crstwhile !SSA/s interventions in Poland,

(zechoslova"ia, 9ungary, and 4fghanistan can be *uoted as e8amples of

interventions carried out by the big powers.

I8. -i'i#e an# Rule:

$he policy of divide and rule has also been a method of balance of power. It

has been a time honored policy of wea"ening the opponents. It is resorted to

be all such nations who try to ma"e or "eep their competitors wea" by "eeping

them divided or by dividing them.

$he 0rench policy towards 2ermany and the British policy towards the

Curopean continent can be cited as the outstanding e8amples. $he rich and

powerful states now do not refrain from using divide and rule for controlling

the policies of the new states of 4sia, 4frica and 'atin 4merica.


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8. Buffer States or 9ones:

4nother method of balance of power is to set up a buffer state between two

rivals or opponents. Buffers, observes G.G. ?y"e, #are areas which are wea",

which possess considerable strategic importance to two or more strong

powers, Buffer is a small state created or maintained as a separating state i.e.

as a buffer state for "eeping two competing states physically separate each

stronger power then tries to bring the buffer within its sphere of influence but

regards it as important, if not vital, that no other strong power be permitted to

do so.

$he maor function of a buffer is to "eep the two powerful nations apart and

thus minimise the chances of clash and hence to help the maintenance of

balance.%

8I. &rmaments an# -isarmaments:

4ll nations, particularly very powerful nations, place great emphasis on

armaments as the means for maintaining or securing a favourable position in

power relations in the world. It is also used as a means to "eep away a

possible aggressor or enemy.

9owever, armament race between two competitors or opponents can lead to a

highly dangerous situation which cans accidently cause a war. In this way

armament race can act as a danger to world peace and security.

(onse*uently, now=a=days, ?isarmaments and 4rms (ontrol are regarded as

better devices for maintaining and strengthening world peace and security. 4

comprehensive disarmament planEe8ercise involving nuclear disarmament

can go a long way in strengthening the balance +peace that e8ists in

international relations.


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8II. he ol#er of the Balance or the Balancer:

$he system of balance of power may consist of two scales plus a third

element -holder/ of the balance or the balancer. $he balancer is a nation or a

group of nations, which remains aloof from the policies of the two rivals or

opponents and plays the role of, #the laughing third party.%

It poses temptations to both parties to the balance, and each contending party

tries to win over the support of the laughing third party&the balancer.

Dormally, the balancer remains away from both the parties but if any party to

the balance becomes unduly wea" resulting into a threat to the balance, the

balancer oins it and helps the restoration of balance.

4fter that the balancer again becomes aloof. $raditionally Britain used to play

the role of a balancer in Curope. 9owever in the era cold war no state could

perform the role of a balancer in international relations.

$he rise of unipolarity after 1>>1, involving the presence of only one super

power has now further reduced the chances for the emergence of a balancer

in international relations. $hese are the seven maor methods or devices of

Balance of Power. $hese have been traditionally used by nations pursuing the

policy of a balance of power.

ritical E'aluation of Balance of Power:

Balance of Power has been strongly praised as well as severely criticized.

%ome %cholars observe:

“Balance of Power is nearly a fundamental law of politics as is possible to

find,” —#artin Wright


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“Balance of Power is a basic principle of international relations!” —Palmer and

Per%ins

4s against this several others li"e Aichard (obden criticize it as unreal,

inade*uate and uncertain system. $hey hold that Balance of Power admits

war in the have balance and ma"es the nations power hungry. $he supporters

of Balance of Power advance a number of arguments in favour and give

e8ample of the 115 period of history to prove the effectiveness of

balance of power as a device of power management.

Balance of Power: &r/uments in )a'our:*+, $ %ource of %tability in nternational #elations:

Balance of Power provides stability to international relations. It is a device of

effective power management and peace. ?uring the past 5 years it was

successful, at most of the times, in preserving peace.

#Balance of Power has many a times prevented war. 7ar brea"s out only

when any state assumes e8cessive power.% &0redric 2eniz

*2, t suits the real nature of nternational #elations:

Balance of Power is in tune with the dynamic nature of international relations.

It helps continuous adustments and readustments in relations without any

grave ris" of war among states.

*, nsures ultiplicity of %tates:

Since Balance of Power postulates the presence of a number of maor

international actors + or < even more, it ensures multiplicity of nations and

their active participation in preserving balance in international relations.


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*4, (uarantees the 0reedom of %mall %tates:

Balance of Power ensures the preservation of small and wea" states. Its rule

that no nation is to be completely eliminated, favors the continued e8istence of

all states. Cach state feels secure about its security in the balance of power

system.

*1, Balance of Power &iscourages ar:

Balance of Power discourages war because each state "nows that any

attempt to become unduly powerful shall invo"e an action, even war, by all

other states and hence, it "eeps its ambitions under control.

*3, $ %ource of Peace in nternational #elations:

0inally, Balance of Power is always a source of peace and order in

international relations. It supports status *uo in relations. Between 115

it successfully prevented war.

Balance of Power: &r/uments &/ainst:

*+, Balance of Power cannot ensure Peace:

Balance of Power does not necessarily bring peace. Cven during its golden

days, it failed to prevent the domination of small states by the big states. It

was not successful in preserving the security of small states. In fact, in the

past, wars have been fought in the name of preservation of Balance of Power.

$he three periods of stability&one starting from 1H5


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name of balance of power. Balance of Power cannot really secure peace and

freedom of the nations.

*2, %tates are not %tatic nits:

Cach state always tries to secure more and more national power. It does not

really belong to any balance of power system. 4nother point that must be

raised about the balance of power is that nations are not static units.

$hey increase their power through military aggressions, seizure of territory

and alliances. $hey can change their power from within by improving social

organisation, by industrializing and by mobilizing internal resources. So the

traditional mechanism of the balance of power is not the only cause

responsible for an increase of power.

*, Preponderance of )ne %tate in the world can also secure Peace:

4 preponderance of power in the hands of one state or group of states does

not necessarily threaten world peace or the independence of any nation. $he

unipolarism resulting from the collapse of one super power +!SSA and the

continued presence of the other super power +!S4 has not in any way

disturbed international peace and security or power balance. In contemporary

times the preponderance of one state is a reality and yet there is peace and

peaceful coe8istence.

*4, "arrow Basis:

$he concept of Balance of Power is based upon a narrow view of international

relations. It regards power=relations as the whole of international relations. It

gives near total importance to preservation of self and national=interest as the

motives of all state actions. It fails to give proper weight age to other ends&


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social, economic, cultural and moral, that provide strong motives to


*1, $ echanical view of Peace:

Balance of Power wrongly ta"es a mechanistic view of world peace as a

situation of balance or e*uilibrium in power relations. Peace does not depend

upon balance in power relations. It really depends upon international

consciousness and morality.

*3, 5uality of a number of %tates is a yth:

Balance of Power presupposes the e8istence of a number of e*ually powerful

states. In practice no two states have or can have e*ual power. It involves the

conception of e*uilibrium which is in fact dise*uilibrium and is subect to

continuous change.

*6, "ations are not free to brea7 $lliances:

$he theory of the balance of power can also be criticized on the ground that it

wrongly assumes that nations are free to ma"e or brea" alliances as and

when they may desire for the main consideration of balance of power.

*8, ncertainty of Balance of Power:

:orgenthau criticizes Balance of Power for its uncertainty. Balance of Power

is uncertain because its operation depends upon an evaluation of power of

various nations. In practice it is not possible to have an absolutely correct

evaluation of power of a state.

*, Balance of Power is nreal:

Since the evaluation of the national power of a nation is always uncertain, no

nation can afford dependence upon the balance of power. Cach nation always


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"eeps a secret about its power. Since all nations "eep safe margins, the

balance of power at a particular time is always unreal.

*+9, nade5uacy of Balance of Power:

Balance of Power in itself is an inade*uate device of international peace and

security. It even accepts war as a means for maintaining a balance. 0ear

cannot be a real basis of international relations.

*++, Balance of Power has now lost its #elevance:

0inally, the critics argue that now Balance of Power it is not a relevant

principle of international relations. $he big changes in the international system

as well as in the balance of power system have made it almost an obsolete

system. On the basis of above arguments, the critics of Balance of Power

advocate its total reection.

!ndoubtedly, in contemporary times the balance of power has lost its utility

and much of its importance due to changes in the international system.

9owever it cannot be denied that it continues to be an important factor in the

regional power relations among the states of a region. It is used by nations for

assessing the nature of power relations at the regional level.

Role an# Rele'ance of Balance of Power inInternational Relations:

#4s long as the nation=state system is the prevailing pattern of international

society, balance of power policies will be followed in practice, and in all

probability, they will continue to operate, even if effective supranational

groupings on a regional or world level are formed% &Palmer and Per"ins.


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In contemporary times, Balance of Power has lost much of its utility due to

several changes in the international relations. $he following changes in the

international relations as well as in the traditional balance of power system

have adversely affected the role and relevance of Balance of Power as a

device of power management in International politics.

*+, nd of the era of uropean &omination and the dawn of era of (lobal

Politics:

$he structure of international politics has undergone a radical change from the

classical period. 0rom a narrow Curopean dominated international system it

has come to be a truly global system in which 4sian, 4frican and 'atin

4merican states enoy a new and added importance. $oday Curope is no

longer the centre of world politics. Curopean politics constitutes only one small

segment of international politics. $his changes has considerably reduced the

operation ability of balance of power.

*2, hanges in Psychological nvironment:$he characteristic moral and intellectual consensus that characterised

Curopean nations during the classical period of Balance of Power +115

has ceased to e8ist. Cach maor power now see"s to protect its interests as

universal interests and hence tries to impose these upon others. $he use of

propaganda and ideology as instruments of national policy has increased

manifold. $his development has further chec"ed the importance of balance of

power.

*, #ise of Propaganda! Psychological and Political arfare as

instruments of "ational Policy:


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Previously, diplomacy and war used to be the chief means of conducting

foreign policies. $he decline of diplomacy, rise of new diplomacy and the new

fear of war as a means, have brought into operation two new devices=

Propaganda and Political warfare, as the instruments of national policy. $hese

have in turn reduced the popularity and role of balance of power principle in


*4, mergence of deology as a 0actor of nternational #elations:

$he new importance of ideology and other less tangible but, nevertheless,

important elements of national power have further created unfavorable

conditions for the operation of balance of power.

*1, #eduction in the "umber of a;or Powers:

$he most obvious structural change that has seriously limited the role of

balance of power has been the numerical reduction of the players of power=

politics game. 0or its operation, Balance of Power needs the presence of a

number of maor power actors. $he presence of two superpowers during1>56=>1 discouraged the operation of balance of power and now there is

present only one super power in the world.

*3, 'he Bipolarity of old ar period and the new era of nipolarity:

$he bipolarity +presence of two super powers and their blocs that emerged in

the cold war period reduced the fle8ibility of the international system. It

reduced the chances of balance of power whose wor"ing re*uires the

e8istence of fle8ibility in power relations, alliances and treaties. Presently

unipolarity characterizes the international system.

*6, 'he nd of the ra of olonialism and mperialism:


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4nother big change in the structure of balance of power has been the

disappearance of imperialism and colonialism; It has limited the scope for the

e8ercise of power by the Curopean powers, who in the past always wor"ed as

the "ey players of the principle Balance of Power.

*8, &isappearance of the 56=>1. $raditionally, Britain used to play such a role in Curope. $he

sharp and big decline in the power of Britain in the post=war period compelled

it to abandon its role of balancer between the two super powers. Do other

nation or even a group of nations was successful in acting as a balancer

between the !S4 and the +erstwhile !SSA. $he absence of a balancer

further reduced the role of balance of power in post=war international relations.

*, hange of oncept of ar into 'otal ar:

$he emergence of nuclear weapons and other revolutionary developments inwar technology has produced a big in change the nature of war. $he

replacement of war by $otal 7ar has made war the most dreaded situation in

international relations. $his has forced nations to reect war as an instrument

of balance of power which rests upon the assumption that nations can even

go to war for preserving or restoring the balance.

*+9, 'he mergence of (lobal $ctors:

$he rise of the !nited Dations and several other international and regional

actors in international relations has given a new loo"ed to the international

relations of our times. $he presence of the !D has made a big change in the

structure and functioning of the international system. 7ith a provision for


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collective security of international peace and security, the !nited Dations

constitutes a better source of peace. ?ue to all these changes in international

relations, Balance of Power has come to suffer a big decline. It has definitely

lost much of its relevance.

In contemporary times, Balance of Power has ceased to be a fully relevant

and credible principle of international relations. 9owever, it still retains a

presence in international relations, more particularly, in the sphere of regional

relations among states.

%ome scholars observe:

“&he idea of balance of power is still the central theoretical concept in

international relation!” —'nyder

“&he 'tructural changes in international politics of post(war period have not

greatly affected the principle of Balance of Power! )t still holds good in respect

of regional relations among nations!” —*rnold Wolfers

*lthough Balance of Power has lost must of its relevance as a global level

device of power management, it is still being used by the states of a region to

maintain a balance in their power positions!

%everal scholars admit its continued presence:

“*s long as the nation(state system is the prevailing pattern of international

society, balance of power policies will be followed in practice, and in all

probability, they will continue to operate, even if effective supranational

groupings on a regional or world level are formed!” —Palmer and Per%ins


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Indeed the concept of Balance of Power is bound to continue so long as the

struggle for power among nations continues to characterize international

relations. Cven the staunch critics of Balance of Power li"e, :artin 7right and

0riendrich admit that Balance of Power is still a basic element in international

relations. Balance of power is neither totally obsolete nor dead. Its role,

however, has changed from a global device to a regional device of power

management.

Balance of Power IR

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