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http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-
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.
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/category/international-politics/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/category/international-politics/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/balance-of-power-meaning-nature-methods-and-relevance/48482/
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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
international relations.
*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
international relations.
*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.