Balance of Power Issues - Essay Example

? Balance of Power Balance of power is a core component in the study of international relationships and war. It is evident that political power and military strength plays an important role in shaping what eventually forms a society. It is imperative to investigate the actual role of balance of power in the world. The key question is whether balance of power maintains international order rather than peace. The primary goal of any country is to uphold its territorial integrity and maintain its sovereignty. This implies that states may be obliged to form alliances so as to leverage individual capabilities to avert any common external threat. Thus, the alliance of countries that shifts the balance of power is usually motivated by self interests rather than peace (Claude, 1989). Balance of power ensures that each country maximizes its security and thus effectively leading to international order. The other motivation for balance of power is the prevention of hegemony. No state desires to see another power exercising complete influence on it or others. Thus, nations may form alliances so as to neutralize the emergency of hegemony. The result is that the alliances countercheck each other and as a result there is international order. It should be noted that peace is attained on condition that the creation of hegemony is averted (Freedman, 1989). In some instances, balance of power is a core component of peace. This is evident in situations where the defeat of a Great Power results in a power vacuum. In order to prevent any other country from gaining extreme influence, the defeated power may be shown leniency so as to preserve peace. In conclusion, it is evident that the main motivating factor for balance of power is to maintain order. Countries form alliances in order to guarantee their own survival. Introduction Balance of power is a concept that forms a core part of international relationships. The balance of power theory postulates that the national security is enhanced when military capabilities are distributed among all nations. Essentially, this means that no nation should be strong enough to threaten or dominate others. Freedman argues that balance of power can be basically defined as the distribution of political power among various nations (201). Theories have been fronted to explain the concept of balance of power and its origins. According to Bass, a state may respond to a threat in its national security by joining forces with other threatened states. This leads to formation of alliances that cause a shift in the dynamics of power. Although it is difficult to measure “power” in absolute terms, shifting of political alliances usually play a critical role the amount of influence that a nation or nations exercise internationally (Claude, pp. 80-81). As such, the countries are engaged in theatrics to continually counter check each other in terms of the power that they wield against each other. On the other hand, balance of power may be taken as a system or guide to policy making in international relationships. Butterfield (1966) suggests that balance of power is an organic and natural response of individual states to the dynamics of politics on the international scale. In essence, balance of power is a methodology for self preservation which may not be necessary be motivated by a current threat (Henrikson, 1981 p. 157). This essay aims to discuss the role of balance of power in international relationships among countries. It evaluates critically how balance of power relates to international order and peace in the globe. Various historical scenes are evaluated to give a clear illustration of how balance of power shaped the political landscapes world. Balance of power for international order and peace The international political landscape is inevitably dynamic and prone to various rapid changes. Therefore, countries continually seek to find ways of strengthening themselves so as to be a good position to attain their interests of prosperity. In the process of strengthening themselves to attain their interests, it is inevitable that conflicts may arise. According to Baldwin: “The pursuit of self interest by countries is usually bound to bring them in conflict with other countries. It is natural that other countries may feel threatened by the progress of another country whether directly or indirectly. Such a situation may inevitably lead to breakdown of order among the various states involved”. (p. 163). It is therefore imperative that balance of power is a necessary tool in ensuring that international order is maintained. The escalation of animosity between the United States and the USSR at the time was major threat to international order. The political ideologies of these two powers were very different and each of them wanted to gain influence in the world. The gravity of the situation was escalated due to the fact that both of them had weapons of mass destruction whose use could have led to a human catastrophe (Schroeder, 142). The Soviet Union and the United States embarked on a diplomatic charm to woo other smaller nations onto their sides. This meant that each country amassed a considerable size of allies in various regions. The effect of these alliances was that the United States and the Soviet Union could not engage in direct aggression as this would spill over to their allies. Hence, a balance of power was attained that ensured there was order in the world. It can therefore be argued that the reason for the balance of supremacy between US together with the USSR was based on the bigger goal of maintaining order. The bipolar balance of power was crucial in ensuring that peace prevailed and no wars came up since this would have a disastrous effect. It should be noted that in as much there was peace, both countries piled up their weapon stocks during this period in anticipation of war. In retrospect, this outlines that the balance of power at this time was not so much about maintaining peace but rather ensuring that order and stability was maintained (Aron, 1966 pp 101-107). One of the main reasons for balance of power is the prevention of hegemony. Hegemony can be defined as the exercising of authority and influence over other countries. Deustch (1978) asserts that a country is to defend its sovereignty and independence. Therefore, it can be argued that countries are inclined towards balance of power to maintain their independence. Countries rank the goals of avoiding hegemony and maintaining the status quo higher than the notion of peace. In fact, countries may be ready to go to war in order to protect or advance these goals. Essentially, this implies that peace is not the main factor that leads to international realignments for balance of power. It is clear that countries form alliances in order to strengthen themselves and sometimes to prepare for war if need in order to protect their sovereignty. In this context, war is deemed to be an acceptable instrument to attain their goals of independence and sovereignty. In highlighting the significance of balance of power to ensure sovereignty, Claude indicates that the allies are driven by the motive that "we should never contribute to the attainment by one state of a power so preponderant, that none dare dispute with it even for their acknowledged rights "(p. 82). Balance of power is an important element in the furthering of self interest by various states. In true respect of a natural society, the most primary goal of any country is to maintain its own survival. This implies that countries may be ready to go to war if it is the only alternative to ensure that they survive. Therefore, this clearly indicates that peace is secondary to survival in any state (Butterfield, 1966). The survival of any nation can be defined in terms of its territorial integrity and the right to self determination at all times. The national security of a nation is a tool that is used to guarantee the primary goal of survival. The roe of balance of power in this respect to ensure that each state is assured of its independence and that the great powers do not in any way dominate the smaller nations. In essence, nations form alliances in order to achieve a balance of power in the international system such that no country has direct domination over others. Each individual state capability is leveraged in an alliance that takes advantage of numbers. This means that nations form alliances in order to guarantee each other’s independence by aggregating their capabilities into a single pool (Claude, 1989 p.81). The formation of such coalitions acts as a vital instrument in counterchecking any potential rise of hegemony. In this respect, the alliances of various nations to form blocs create a sort of impasse where order is maintained. The creation of order is attained as a consequence of nations attempting to uphold their rights to autonomy and sovereignty (Schroeder, 1989). The strategies of maintaining a balance of power can be viewed as covert means by nations to maximize their own security and minimize any external threat. It should be noted by achieving international order, peace is also attained. However, the attainment of peace is based on the elimination of any threat of hegemony as the primary goal. According to Hass (1953), balance of power can be considered as a legitimate component for peace among various countries. One of the arguments that support this theory is the historical leniency that is shown to defeated powers. A case in point is France which had been a major antagonist in Europe for several years before its eventual defeat in 1815. Claude points out that despite its resounding defeat, France was allowed to exercise its authority in all the territories that it had prior to the war (pp. 82-83). This implies that the balance of power theory played a significant role in managing the expectations of both sides. It should be noted that in the true spirit of balance of power, no state can allow others to gain extreme dominance even if they are allies. Basically, the defeat of France resulted in a huge power vacuum since it had control of huge territories. Had the allies allowed any country to take over the territories, it would have resulted in the creation of hegemony. Thus, the utilization of balance of power played a role in ensuring that peace reigned without the emergence of another dominant power. Conclusion Balance of power is a critical component of international relationships. It is important to note that balance of power of power plays an important role in maintaining international order and peace. From the discussion above, it is evident that most states from alliances with an intent of self preservation and maintain the status quo. The primary foal of any nation is to uphold its sovereignty and autonomy. In a dynamic world, this can be achieved by leveraging of individual capabilities of nations that eventually leads to a balance of power. Notably, balance of power is used to ensure that each country maximizes its security and territorial integrity from any aggression. In most instances, peace is attained as a secondary benefit of the use of balance of power to maintain international order. Bibliography Aron, R. 1966. Peace and war: A theory of international relations. Lehman: Rowmann & Littlefield Publishers. pp 94-149. Baldwin, D. A. 1979. Power Analysis and World Politics: New Trends versus Old Tendencies, World Politics, vol 31 no 2 Jan 1979 pp 161-04. per JX11.W6 JSTOR . Butterfield, H. 1966. The balance of power. New York: Diplomatic Investigations. Claude, I. L. 1962. Power and international relations (1962). London: McGraw Hill.Ch 5. Claude, L.L. 1989.The Balance of Power revisited, Review of International Studies, vol 15 no 2 pp 77-85. Deutsch, K, 1978. The analysis of international relations (2nd ed, ), Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chs 3 & 4. Freedman, L. 1989. General deterrence and the balance of power, Review of International Studies, vol 15 no 2 pp 199-210. Hass, E. 1953. The Balance of Power: Prescriptions, Concept, or Propaganda, World Politics, vol 5 no 4 July per JX11.W6. Henrikson, A.K. 1981.The Emanation of Power, International Security, vol 6 no 1 Summer pp 152-64. Jones, W & Rosen, R. 1997. The logic of international ielations (8th ed, ) London: Routlidge. Part 2. Schroeder, P. W. 1989. The 19th Century system: balance of power or political equilibrium?, Review of International Studies, vol 15 no 2 pp 135-53. Read More