BOP Nature, Methods etc international relations

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2. Int.Relations
Dr.Fozia Tanoli

3. Balance of Power :Meaning, Nature
and Methods
“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” —Hans. J. Morgenthau.
“Unmanaged struggle for power can be a source of war
in international relations.”

4. Introduction
Infact,BalanceofPowerhasbeentraditionallyan
importantfactofinternationalrelations.Ithasbeen
guidingthedecisionsandpoliciesofnations.
Sincethe17thcenturySeveralscholarsregarditasthe
bestguideforsecuringthegoalsofnationalinterest
withoutgettinginvolvedinwar.Uptothefirsthalfof
twentiethcentury,BalanceofPowerwasregardedas
beingtheonlyknownmoderndeviceofinternational
managementofpower.
“BalanceofPowerisanearlyfundamentallawof
politicsasitispossibletofind.”—MartinWright

5. What is Balance of Power?
It is indeed very difficult to define Balance of Power. It
has been defined it differently by different scholars.

6. (1) “Balance of Power is such a ‘just equilibrium’ 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. Fay
(2) “Balance of Power is an equilibrium or a certain
amount of stability in power relations that under
favourableconditions is produced by an alliance of
states or by other devices.” —George
Schwarzenberger

7. 3) “Balance of Power is such a system in which some
nations regulate their power relations without any
interference by any big power. As such it is a decentralized
system in which power and policies remain in the hands
of constituting units.” —InisClaude
(4) Balance of Power means “the maintenance of such a
just equilibrium 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.” —
Lord Castlereagh

8. (5) “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.” —Hans. J. Morgenthau

9. Nature of Balance of Power
PalmerandPerkinsdescribeseveralmajorfeaturesof
BalanceofPower(BOP):
1.SomeSortofEquilibriuminPowerRelations:
ThetermBalanceofPowersuggests‘equilibrium
whichissubjecttoconstant,ceaselesschange.In
short,thoughitstandsforequilibrium,italso
involvessomedisequilibrium.Thatiswhyscholars
defineitasajustequilibriumsorsomesortof
equilibriuminpowerrelations.

10. 2. Temporary and Unstable:
Inpracticeabalanceofpoweralwaysprovestobe
temporaryandunstable.Aparticularbalanceof
powersurvivesonlyforashorttime.
3.TobeActivelyAchieved:
Thebalanceofpowerhastobeachievedbytheactive
interventionofmen.ItisnotagiftofGod.States
cannotaffordtowaituntilit“happens”.Theyhaveto
secureitthroughtheirefforts.

11. 4. FavoursStatus quo:
Balanceofpowerfavoursstatusquoinpower
positionsofmajorpowers.Itseekstomaintaina
balanceintheirpowerrelations.However,inorderto
beeffective,aforeignpolicyofbalanceofpowermust
bechanginganddynamic.
5.TheTestofBOPisWar:
Arealbalanceofpowerseldomexists.Theonlytestof
abalanceiswarandwhenwarbreaksoutthebalance
comestoanend.Warisasituationwhichbalanceof
powerseekstopreventandwhenitbreaksout,
balancepowercomestoanend.

12. 6. Not a Device of Peace:
BalanceofPowerisnotaprimarydeviceofpeace
becauseitadmitswarasameansformaintaining
balance.
7.BigPowersasActorsofBOP:
Inabalanceofpowersystem,thebigstatesor
powerfulstatesaretheplayers.Thesmallstatesorless
powerfulstatesareeitherspectatorsorthevictimsof
thegame.

13. 8. Multiplicity of States as an Essential
Condition:
BalanceofPowersystemoperateswhenthereare
presentanumberofmajorpowers,eachofwhichis
determinedtomaintainaparticularbalanceor
equilibriumintheirpowerrelations.
9.NationalInterestisitsBasis:
BalanceofPowerisapolicythatcanbeadoptedby
anystate.Therealbasisthatleadstothispolicyis
nationalinterestinagivenenvironment.

14. The Golden Age of BOP:
Theperiodof1815-1914wasthegoldenageofBalance
ofPower.
Duringthisperiod,itwasregardedasanearly
fundamentallawofinternationalrelations.Itbroke
downduetheoutbreakofFirstWorldWarin1914.
Itwastriedtobeunsuccessfullyrevivedduring1919-
1939.However,theattemptfailedandtheworldhad
tobeartheSecondWorldWar.

15. TheSecondWorldWar(1939-45)producedseveral
structuralchangesintheinternationalsystemaswell
asinthebalanceofpowersystem.
Undertheimpactofthesechanges,theBalanceof
Powersystemlostmuchofitsrelevanceasadeviceof
powermanagement.Itisnowlostmuchofits
relevanceininternationalrelations.

16. Historical background of Balance of power

17. Lecture -ii
Methods/ Techniques of Balance of Power

18. I. Compensation:
Itisalsoknownasterritorialcompensation.Itusually
entailstheannexationordivisionoftheterritoryofthe
statewhosepowerisconsidereddangerousforthe
balance.Inthe17thand18thcenturiesthisdevicewas
regularlyusedformaintainingabalanceofpowerwhich
usedtogetdisturbedbytheterritorialacquisitionsofany
nation.
ForexamplesthethreepartitionsofPolandin1772,1793
and1795werebasedupontheprincipleofcompensation.
Austria,PrussiaandRussiaagreedtodividePolish
territoryinsuchawaythatthedistributionofpower
amongthemwouldbeapproximatelythesame.

19. Inthelatterpartofthe19thcentury,andaftereachof
thetwoworldwarsofthe20thcentury,territorial
compensationwasusedasadeviceforweakeningthe
powersofthestateswhoseactionshadledtoa
violationofthebalance.Itwasappliedbythecolonial
powersforjustifyingtheiractionsaimedat
maintainingtheirimperialpossessions.

20. II. Alliances and Counter Alliances:
Alliance-makingareregardedasaprincipalmethod
ofbalanceofpower.Allianceisadevicebywhicha
combinationofnationscreatesafavourablebalance
ofpowerbyenteringintomilitaryorsecuritypacts
aimedataugmentingtheirownstrengthvis-a-vis
thepoweroftheiropponents.
However,anallianceamongagroupofnations,
almostalways,leadstotheestablishmentofa
counteralliancebytheopponents.Historyisfullof
examplesofsuchalliancesandcounteralliances.

21. Wheneveranynationthreatenedthebalanceof
Europe,otherstatesformedalliancesagainstitand
wereusuallyabletocurbthepoweroftheover-
ambitiousstate.
AftertheTripleAllianceof1882,arivalalliance—The
TripleEntente,wasslowlyformedthroughbilateral
agreementsoveraperiodof17years(1891-1907).

22. Inpost-1945period,allianceslikeNATO,SEATO,
WarsawPactemergedasdevicesofBalanceofPower.
ThefirsttwowereestablishedbytheUSAandthe
thirdonewasorganisedbytheerstwhileUSSRfor
strengtheningtheirrespectivepowerpositionsinthe
eraofcoldwar.

23. III. Intervention and Non-
intervention
“Interventionisadictatorialinterferenceinthe
internalaffairsofanotherstate/stateswithaviewto
changeormaintainaparticulardesiredsituation
whichisconsideredtobeharmfulorusefultothe
competingopponents.
Sometimesduringawarbetweentwostatesno
attemptismadebyotherstatestointervene.Thisis
doneformakingthetwowarringstatesweaker.

24. Assuchinterventionandnon-interventionareused
asdevicesofBalanceofPower.
Mostlyitisusedbyamajorpowerforregainingan
oldallyorforpickingupanewallyorforimposinga
desiredsituationonotherstates.
BritishinterventioninGreece,theUSinterventionis
Grenada,Nicaragua,Cuba,Korea,Vietnam,and
(Erstwhile)USSR’sinterventionsinPoland,
Czechoslovakia,Hungary,andAfghanistancanbe
quotedasexamplesofinterventionscarriedoutby
thebigpowers.

25. IV. Divide and Rule:
Thepolicyofdivideandrulehasalsobeenamethod
ofbalanceofpower.Ithasbeenatimehonoredpolicy
ofweakeningtheopponents.
Itisresortedtobeallsuchnationswhotrytomakeor
keeptheircompetitorsweakbykeepingthemdivided
orbydividingthem.

26. TheFrenchpolicytowardsGermanyandtheBritish
policytowardstheEuropeancontinentcanbecitedas
theoutstandingexamples.
Therichandpowerfulstatesnowdonotrefrainfrom
usingdivideandruleforcontrollingthepoliciesofthe
newstatesofAsia,AfricaandLatinAmerica.

27. V. Buffer States or Zones:
Anothermethodofbalanceofpoweristosetupa
bufferstatebetweentworivalsoropponents.Buffers,
observesV.V.Dyke,
“areareaswhichareweak,whichpossess
considerablestrategicimportancetotwoormore
strongpowers,Bufferisasmallstatecreatedor
maintainedasaseparatingstatei.e.asabufferstate
forkeepingtwocompetingstatesphysicallyseparate
eachstrongerpowerthentriestobringthebuffer
withinitssphereofinfluencebutregardsitas
important,ifnotvital,thatnootherstrongpowerbe
permittedtodoso.

28. Themajorfunctionofabufferistokeepthetwo
powerfulnationsapartandthusminimisethechances
ofclashandhencetohelpthemaintenanceof
balance.”

29. VI. Armaments and
Disarmaments:
Allnations,particularlyverypowerfulnations,place
greatemphasisonarmamentsasthemeansfor
maintainingorsecuringafavourablepositioninpower
relationsintheworld.Itisalsousedasameansto
keepawayapossibleaggressororenemy.

30. However,armamentracebetweentwocompetitors
oropponentscanleadtoahighlydangerous
situationwhichcansaccidentlycauseawar.Inthis
wayarmamentracecanactasadangertoworld
peaceandsecurity.Consequently,now-a-days,
DisarmamentsandArmsControlareregardedas
betterdevicesformaintainingandstrengthening
worldpeaceandsecurity.
Acomprehensivedisarmamentplan/exercise
involvingnucleardisarmamentcangoalongwayin
strengtheningthebalance(peace)thatexistsin
internationalrelations.

31. VII. The Holder of the Balance or the
Balancer:
Thesystemofbalanceofpowermayconsistoftwo
scalesplusathirdelement‘holder’ofthebalanceor
thebalancer.
Thebalancerisanationoragroupofnations,which
remainsalooffromthepoliciesofthetworivalsor
opponentsandplaystheroleof,“thelaughingthird
party.”

32. Itposestemptationstobothpartiestothebalance,
andeachcontendingpartytriestowinoverthe
supportofthelaughingthirdparty—thebalancer.
Normally,thebalancerremainsawayfromboththe
partiesbutifanypartytothebalancebecomes
undulyweakresultingintoathreattothebalance,
thebalancerjoinsitandhelpstherestorationof
balance.
Afterthatthebalanceragainbecomesaloof.
TraditionallyBritainusedtoplaytheroleofa
balancerinEurope.Howeverintheeracoldwarno
statecouldperformtheroleofabalancerin
internationalrelations.

33. Theriseofunipolarityafter1991,involvingthe
presenceofonlyonesuperpowerhasnowfurther
reducedthechancesfortheemergenceofabalancerin
internationalrelations.
Thesearethesevenmajormethodsordevicesof
BalanceofPower.Thesehavebeentraditionallyused
bynationspursuingthepolicyofabalanceofpower.