Balance of Power

Summary

In this video, Alan Sense explains the concept of the balance of power in global politics, a central theory in international relations and political realism. He explores how states act to maintain equilibrium by balancing growing powers, either through increasing their own power or forming alliances. Using examples from history, such as pre-World War Europe and the Cold War, Sense demonstrates how this theory explains state behavior, alliances, and even war. The discussion also raises questions about the current global power structure and the future of U.S. dominance.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The balance of power is a key concept in global politics, often associated with political realism.
• ⚖️ The balance of power refers to a theory of state behavior where states act to maintain equilibrium in the international system.
• 💪 States balance power either by increasing their own power or forming alliances to prevent any one state from dominating the system.
• 🌐 Realists believe that states strive to maintain this balance to prevent conflict and preserve stability.
• ⚔️ Sometimes, maintaining the balance of power requires war, especially when a state's growth threatens the balance.
• 🔄 The balance of power is dynamic and constantly changing, as states shift alliances and adjust their strategies based on perceived threats.
• 🏛️ Historically, most balance of power systems have been multipolar, with several great powers exerting influence.
• 🛡️ After World War II, the world shifted from a multipolar system to a bipolar system, dominated by the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
• 🌎 Following the Cold War, the U.S. emerged as a unipolar power, leading to debates about whether other states would balance against it.
• 📖 The theory of the balance of power is still relevant today, as scholars debate its applicability in the contemporary unipolar world.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video series mentioned in the script?

The video series focuses on exploring key concepts and ideas central to the study of international relations and global politics.

What is the 'balance of power' theory in international relations?

The balance of power is a theory of state behavior that argues states act to maintain a balance or equilibrium of power in the international system to prevent any one state from dominating the others.

How do states typically respond if another state gains too much power?

States will act to balance against the growing power either by increasing their own power or forming alliances with other states.

What happens if states are unable to increase their own power to counterbalance a stronger state?

If states cannot increase their own power due to constraints like resources or money, they form alliances with other states to collectively balance against the growing power.

Does balancing power always lead to peace in the international system?

Not always. While maintaining a balance of power can lead to long periods of peace, sometimes it requires war, as states may go to war to prevent another from becoming too powerful.

Can alliances in the international system change over time?

Yes, alliances can shift based on changes in perceived threats or the distribution of power. For example, today B and C might form an alliance, but in the future, C and D could ally instead.

What is a multipolar system, and can you provide a historical example?

A multipolar system is one where there are multiple centers of power in the international system. An example is Europe prior to World War I, where five to seven great powers held significant influence.

What was the global power structure after World War II, and how was it different from previous eras?

After World War II, the global power structure was described as a bipolar system, with two main centers of power: the United States and the Soviet Union. This was different from previous multipolar systems where multiple countries held significant power.

What is meant by the term 'unipolar' in the context of global politics after the Cold War?

Unipolar refers to a power structure with only one dominant state, which, after the Cold War, was the United States. In this system, the U.S. acted as the hegemonic power.

What is the contemporary debate in global politics regarding the balance of power theory?

The contemporary debate focuses on whether states are balancing against the United States, which currently acts as the hegemonic power, and whether balance of power theory will hold in the future.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Green College and Global Politics Series

In this paragraph, Alan Sense introduces himself and mentions that he is at Green College, a residential institution at the University of British Columbia that houses graduate students and researchers. He explains that the video is part of a series on global politics and will cover key concepts central to international relations. The focus for this video is on the balance of power, a foundational theory in global politics, particularly within the realist school of thought.

05:00

⚖️ Understanding the Balance of Power Theory

Alan introduces the concept of the balance of power, explaining it as a theory of state behavior in global politics. States aim to preserve an equilibrium of power to prevent any one state from dominating the international system. This theory is a key component of political realism. He draws an analogy by imagining a system with five states of roughly equal power and explains how these states act to maintain balance, ensuring no single state can dominate the others.

10:02

🛡️ Methods of Balancing Power

This paragraph explores the two primary ways states balance power: (1) by increasing their own power and (2) by forming alliances. Alan gives an example where State A experiences a growth in power, prompting State D to enhance its military capabilities to maintain balance. However, some states may not have the resources to increase their power, so they resort to alliances, as illustrated by States B and C joining forces to counterbalance State A's growth.

⚔️ War and the Balance of Power

Alan discusses how balancing power can sometimes require war, especially if a state becomes aggressive, such as State A attacking State E. In such a scenario, the other states would intervene to maintain equilibrium in the system. This balance of power behavior may lead to conflict when states act to prevent a single actor from becoming too powerful. He emphasizes the dynamic nature of this system, where alliances and relative power are constantly shifting.

🔄 The Dynamic and Fluid Nature of State Power

The paragraph continues the discussion of the fluidity of state behavior in the international system. Alan highlights how the relative power of states is in constant flux, leading to the frequent formation and dissolution of alliances. He notes that the shifting alliances and changing power structures are central to realist theories of international relations, which suggest that states continuously act to preserve equilibrium in the system.

🌍 Historical Applications of the Balance of Power

In this section, Alan looks at historical examples of balance of power systems, focusing on multipolar systems like pre-World War I Europe and ancient China. He also explains how the global system shifted from multipolarity to bipolarity during the Cold War, with the U.S. and the Soviet Union being the two dominant powers. After the Cold War, the system became unipolar, with the U.S. as the single hegemon. He raises the question of whether balance of power theory will prompt states to balance against the U.S.'s dominance.

📅 Contemporary Debates on the Balance of Power

In the final paragraph, Alan touches on contemporary debates in global politics regarding whether states are balancing against U.S. hegemony in the post-Cold War unipolar system. He leaves the viewer with a question: is the balance of power theory still relevant today, and if so, are we seeing evidence of states attempting to balance against a single dominant actor? He concludes the video and invites viewers to join future discussions in the series.

Keywords

💡Balance of Power

The balance of power is a theory in international relations that refers to the idea that states act to maintain an equilibrium in power to prevent any single state from dominating the international system. In the video, it is explained as a mechanism of state behavior to avoid dominance by one actor, either by increasing their own power or forming alliances.

💡State Behavior

State behavior refers to the actions and policies that states adopt in the international system. In the context of this video, state behavior is analyzed through the lens of the balance of power theory, explaining how states react to the power dynamics of others to preserve equilibrium and prevent dominance by any one state.

💡Realism

Realism is a theory in international relations that emphasizes the competitive and conflictual aspects of international politics. It views the international system as anarchic and believes that states are primarily concerned with their own survival and power. The balance of power is a core concept of realism, as explained in the video.

💡Equilibrium

Equilibrium refers to a state of balance where no one state has enough power to dominate the others. In the video, the speaker discusses how states aim to maintain this equilibrium through self-strengthening or forming alliances to counter growing powers and maintain stability in the international system.

💡Alliances

Alliances are formal agreements between two or more states to work together, often to counterbalance a stronger power in the international system. In the video, alliances are discussed as a key method for states that lack the resources to increase their own power but wish to balance against a growing power like 'State A'.

💡Multipolar System

A multipolar system refers to an international structure where multiple states hold significant power, none of which can dominate the others. The video uses the example of Europe before World Wars I and II, where several powers held similar levels of influence, creating a multipolar balance of power.

💡Bipolar System

A bipolar system describes an international structure where two dominant powers exist. The video discusses this system in the context of the Cold War, where the United States and the Soviet Union were the two major centers of power, balancing each other in global politics.

💡Unipolar System

A unipolar system refers to an international structure dominated by a single state. After the Cold War, the video suggests that the world entered a unipolar system with the United States as the dominant power, raising the question of whether other states will balance against this hegemony.

💡Polarity

Polarity in international relations refers to the distribution of power among states in the international system. The video discusses how the global system can shift from being multipolar (many powers) to bipolar (two powers) or unipolar (one power), and how these shifts affect state behavior and alliances.

💡Hegemony

Hegemony refers to the dominance of one state over others in the international system. In the video, the United States is described as a hegemon in the post-Cold War unipolar system, leading to a discussion about whether other states might seek to challenge or balance against this dominance.

Highlights

Balance of power is a key concept in global politics and a theory of state behavior.

Balance of power refers to states acting to preserve equilibrium to prevent domination.

The concept is integral to realism and political realism theory in international relations.

States act to balance power through increasing their own power or forming alliances.

Balancing can prevent a state from dominating the entire international system.

States may increase military capacity to balance against a growing power.

Alliances are formed to combine efforts and balance against a dominant state.

Preserving balance of power could lead to a long period of peace.

War may be necessary to maintain balance in certain situations.

The balance of power is dynamic and requires constant adjustment by states.

Shifting alliances are determined by the threat level and distribution of power.

Realists argue that balance of power theory captures the history of international relations.

Most historical power systems have been multi-polar with multiple centers of power.

Post-World War II, the world experienced a bipolar balance of power system.

After the Cold War, the world is considered unipolar with the United States as the hegemon.

The extent to which states balance against the United States is a contemporary debate.

The balance of power theory is applicable to understanding current global politics.

Transcripts

hi my name is Alan sense and I'm

standing outside green college at the

University of British Columbia this

college is a residential college for

grad students post-doctoral and doctoral

fellows who are all interested in

interdisciplinarity in their teaching

and

learning welcome to the global politics

instructional video series in this

series we're exploring a number of

different concepts and ideas that are

Central to the study of international

relations and global politics and today

we're looking at the balance of power

now obviously the balance of power is a

key concept of the study of global

politics and we hear about it all the

time uh in the media or in Reading

history books but when we talk about

global politics and balance of power in

the context of global politics we're

referring mostly to this idea that the

balance of power is a theory of State

Behavior it makes an argument about why

States act the way they do and how they

act when faced with certain

situations the whole idea of the balance

of power is a very big part of realism

and the political realism theory in

international relations so let's have a

look at the balance of power

okay the balance of

power now as I said earlier a balance of

power uh can be simply described as a

theory of State behavior and what they

really means is that states

act to

preserve a

balance or if you like equilibrium of

power in the

system so what I thought I'd do is

simply

draw an International System here for

you and I'm going to populate

it with five

states and this is going to assume that

all of these states A B C D and E are

all roughly equivalent in power hence

their approximate identical

size and the whole idea of this balance

of power behavior is that states act to

preserve a balance of power in the

system to prevent any one of these

States from dominating all the others in

other words if it looks like any of

these countries is growing in power to

the extent that it could dominate the

entire system maybe even conquer all the

other states in the system these states

these other states will act to

balance that power in an effort to

achieve an equilibrium in the

system now balancing can be achieved in

one of two different

ways the first way states can balance

against a growing power is by

increasing their own

power so let's use an example let's say

State a for whatever reason experiences

a growth in power perhaps a combination

of Economic and political reasons State

A's power in the system is

enhanced now according to theory of

balance of power these other states are

going to be nervous about that and

they're want going to want to take

measures to ensure that they balance

against this growth in power by state a

because they don't want to see State a

grow to the extent that is capable of

dominating the system or maybe even

conquering all the other states in the

system so they're going to be balancing

in one of two different ways and the

first way is by increasing their own

power so let's say State d looks at

State a and the government of State says

hm we see that state a has increased its

power we want to balance that power to

make sure that state a doesn't dominate

the system and so State D can try to

increase their own power and that might

involve increasing their military

capacity or uh or so on and the whole

idea then of course is that they have

achieved an equilibrium or a balance

between State a and themselves but not

all countries are capable of increasing

their power that easily easily there may

be resource constraints and monetary

constraints and so on and so the second

way to Balance power is through

alliances and in this case State B and

state C may look at the growth in power

by state a and think to themselves H we

need to balance against that growth in

power but we really don't have the

potential to increase our own power so

we are going to

form an

alliance and this idea then of forming

an alliance means that states B and C

are combining their efforts in order to

balance the Growing Power of state

A and so either through increasing their

own power or by forming alliances States

engage in this type of balance of power

behavior and therefore the balance of

power or equilibrium in the system is is

maintained State a is no longer in a

position where it could perhaps come to

dominate the

system now preserving the balance of

power could mean a long period of Peace

uh for example if this system that we

have here is in equilibrium and stays

that way there might very well be no war

in the system but sometimes preserving

the balance of power does require

War so for example let's say State a

decides to attack State e

for whatever reason now in this case

countries b c and d are going to be very

worried because if State a conquers

State e it will take the economic power

the resources the population and so on

of that state and add it to its own thus

vastly increasing its own power and

States b c and d are going to want to

prevent that and they'll prevent it by

going to war to support state e against

State a

in this case balance of power Behavior

actually leads to war because War

becomes necessary to restore or maintain

an equilibrium or balance in the

system now obviously this is all very

Dynamic very fluid and the relative

power of states in the system is in

constant flux it's changing all the time

and so this requires constant adjustment

States increasing their own power or

engaging in alliances and all this

Behavior can change over time alliances

can shift today B and C are an alliance

but maybe in the future C and

D would form an alliance and all of that

will be determined by who is considered

more threatening to the system on how

the systems polarity or distribution of

power is

maintained the whole idea of this of

course realists say captures the entire

history of international relations the

history of the the rise and decline of

state power the history of Shifting

alliances and the whole idea is all of

this originates with a basic theory that

states are engaging in policies to

achieve a balance of power or an

equilibrium amongst them in the system

to ensure that that system cannot be

dominated by one

actor okay so that was the balance of

power now what's interesting about the

balance of Po as a theory is we can

apply it to today so if you look back in

history many have argued that most of

the bounce of Power Systems in the world

have been multi-polar systems and what

that means is that there were multiple

centers of power in the system for

example Europe prior to World War I and

World War II in those periods you could

say that the system was multi-polar in

that there were a number of different

countries five to seven depending how

you add them up that had the most power

in the system and we traditionally call

those the great Powers the Waring States

period of China many argue there were as

many as nine kingdoms that were in the

struggle for power in that part of the

world at that

time now after World War II we have a

situation which is often described as a

bipolar balance of power system a system

in which there were two centers of power

one centered on the United States and

the Western world and a second centered

on the Soviet Union and the so-called

communist

block now after the Cold War we have a

situation that many describe as unipolar

with one state the United States acting

as a heimen and this is really

interesting because what this means is

that if balance of power Theory holds

for the future we should see States

balance against the United States

balance against this single hedge of

demonic actor and the extent to which we

are seeing that kind of behavior or not

seeing that kind of behavior is a very

big part of contemporary debate in

global politics I hope you enjoy this

video join me again next

time