Itr presentation

1. THE BALANCE OF POWER
THEORY
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE LECTURE:
 To critically define the balance of power
concept
 To examine the strategies or means and
ways of balancing power
 Examine the relevance and sustainability of
the Balance of Power in the 21st Century
era, both theoretically and practically.

2. DEFINING BALANCE OF POWER IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
 The balance of power concept is one of the most influential
theories of IR
 The balance of power reflect on how competitive behaviour in
IR result in power equilibrity/balance
 Several scholars have approached the balance of power
concept from various angles
 According to David Hume, balance of power is a scientific law
of IR due to its increased relevance and significance
 For Hans J Morgenthau, the Balance of power is the iron law of
world politics
 Henry Kissinger However, described the balance of power as
more of an art than a science
 So far no hunanimity among scholars on what balance of
power is, but agree on its purposes and key characteristics

3. THE LOGIC BEHIND THE BALANCE OF POWER
 That power is not evenly distributed among states within the
international system, therefore, some states are powerful,
while others are comparatively weak
 Though there is no instrument for measuring power among
states, it happens that stronger and powerful states dictate on
the weaker states, they decide the direction of world politics,
powerful states always make weaker states do things which
themselves would not do etc.
 As a result, weaker states cannot achieve their own national
security and would have to align themselves with the strong
for protection
 Alliances therefore, are used as a means towards balancing
power against powerful adversaries or a threatening friend/
state
 Goldsten(2005) therefore defines a balance of power to refer to
the process where one or more states power is used to
balance that of a state or group of states

4.  In a balance of power system, power
configurations are in equilibrium as shown
bellow
 USA Russia(USSR)
Both actors are balanced ideologically, militarily,
weapons and alliances
NB//The balance of power system is an
international system that has nation states as
exclusive actors

5. Characteristics
 In a balance of power system, the following
essential rules dictate the direction of international
affairs:
 Actors increase capability but they negotiate rather
than direct military confrontation
 Actors do not eliminate an essential actor
 Actors oppose any coalition or single actor that
tends to assume a position of predominance within
the system
 In a balance of power system, weaker national
actors rely upon their allies for protection
 But the rule of the game is that weaker national
actors must increase their capabilities, otherwise
their allies will end up disserting them

6.  In a system where for example the dominant national actors are
equipped with nuclear weapons or Weapons of Mass
Distraction(WMD), they create a precarious balance of terror, like
that of the Cold War environment
 What makes states join alliances is gains and interests and there
should be no dominant alliance.
 A balance of power system becomes so threatening when one actor
fails to act according to the rules of the game and seek global
hegemony or dominance
 This entails that to achieve an effective a balance of power to ,
there must be two powerful national actors and if more than two,
increased competition may result in conflict and politics of
elimination-possibly two will act to eliminate the perceived stronger
one.
 In essence, the balance of power system is premised on the realist
notion that only power can restrain power—mainly for checks and
balances

7. STRATEGIES FOR BALANCING POWER
 The balance of power is designed in such a way that no single state or
actor will dominate in the international system
 Military mightiness, strong economy and alliances determine as to which
states or powers play a central role in IR
 That successful balance of power ensures stability though relative
 The Cold war era demonstrates one of the must successful era of balance
of power when the USA and Russia had both WMD(nuclear weapons) and
made alliances with other states in order to increase their spheres of
influence
 Since 1945-1989, the world was divided into hostile blocs when the USA
formed NATO while the Soviet Union(Russia) formed WARSAW Pact
 There was a successful balance of power in the sense that none of the
parties dared to use nuclear weapons fearing that the conflict will escalate
into a catastrophic nuclear war
 Balance of power is determined by national interests and this explains why
balancing requires internal balancing before sourcing out for alliances
 Interests are integral to balance of power since in IR there are no
permanent friends but permanent interets

8. Internal Balancing
 To curb external threatens, states should first
strengthen their internal or national security
systems
 This can be achieved through building arms
through internal production, forming a strong
national army, acquire latest weapons,
technology etcs
 Acc to Nicholo Machiavelli, a strong partisan
army ensures national survival in the face of
any perceived national threat

9. ALLIANCE FORMATION-AS AN EXTERNAL BALANCING
 Alliances a another second option whereby a state can increase its
capability and security against adversaries
 Alliances strengthen the weaker states’ defence mechanism
 States use alliances to balance against the common threat.
 There is a conviction that parity among state helps prevent war
because no actor can expect victory
 This was typical of the Cold war where USA and Russia remained
enemies but no military confrontation because they new that no one
could win the war
 Because of the anarchical nature of the international system where
stated have to use self help mechanisms for survival, alliances become
the most viable option for beefing up national security
 For relists, power is checked most effectively by counterbalancing
strategy
 Even great powers do not feel secure that is why they form alliances
with small states—this helps prevent rise of a hegemony

10. SIMPLE BALANCE OF POWER
 Hadley Bull-This Designates A Power Parity Between
Two Dominant Powers
 Typical of USA and Russia
 During the 19th c, balance of power concept shifted from
population and territory to industry and military strength
and in the 20th c, it witnessed the use of advanced
weapons , modern technology and military capabilities

11. Balance of Power Between US
and Russia(Soviet Union)
 The US and Union of Soviet Socialist
Republic(USSR) now Russia, emerged as the
two global powers
 Since 1945-1989-the international system was
characterised by the Cold War tension
between the two powers and their respective
allies
 The US and Russia emerged as the only
global powers with nuclear weapons and this
divided the world into two hostile blocs, NATO
led by the US VS Warsaw Pact of Russia.

12.  As a result-weaker states had to align themselves with any of the
two powers
 This heralded a bi-polarity or balance of power in IR
 The period 1945-89 is described as a bipolar system becoz of
having two global powers
 Power was balanced along the two fault lines , weapons and
alliance formation, increased armament or arms race, military build
up and ideological contests.
 Conflicts were kept under tight lid because the two global powers
feared than an attack on one would resulted in second strike
capability, if country A attacks B, it will mean mutually assured
destruction on A.
 Rather, they fought through their proxies or proxy wars-using other
states as battle grounds instead of direct military confrontation.
 Lack of direct military confrontation explains why it is called a cold
war

13.  1990- the end of the cold war heralded a Unipolar system-no
more balance of power
 The collapse of the Russia or The Great Soviet Empire
resulted in the US emerging as the global super power –
signifying transition from Bi to Uni-polar system
 Unlike the balance of power period of 1945-1989
 The Unipolar system has the US as the only global giant
/hegemony
 No more checks and balances –reason why US invaded Iraq,
Afghanistan etc
 The emergence of international terrorism is assumed to be
another way of filling in the power vacuum created by the
USSR
 Terrorists organizations however are not nation states so can
not balance power.

14. QUESTION
 DO YOU THINK THE FORMATION OF SCO IN 2001
AND BRICS IN 2009 IS AN ATTEMTP TO BRING BACK
THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE INTERNATIONAL
SYSTEM?
 Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO)2001
 The bloc is led by China and Russia, and
includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
and Uzbekistan. Observer states are
Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and
Pakistan. Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka have
a status of partners in dialogue