Balance of power : theory and practice in the 21st century / edited by T.V. Paul, James J. Wirtz, and Michel Fortmann.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Paul, T. V.

Wirtz, James J., 1958-

Fortmann, Michel.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Balance of power.

International relations.

Physical Description:

xiv, 384 p.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Since the 16th century, balance of power politics have profoundly influenced international relations. But in recent years—with the sudden disappearance of the Soviet Union, growing power of the United States, and increasing prominence of international institutions—many scholars have argued that balance of power theory is losing its relevance. This book examines the current position and future of balance of power dynamics in international politics. In this book, prominent scholars pay special attention to the theoretical and historical criticisms of balance of power theory while empirically assessing its validity at both global and regional levels. The volume also looks at systemic factors favoring or hindering a return to balance of power politics. It evaluates the challenges posed by subnational actors, such as terrorist groups, and weapons of mass destruction to international order. Further, it examines the relevance of balance of power axioms in selected regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Tables

Acknowledgments

About the Editors and Contributors

Introduction: The Enduring Axioms of Balance of Power Theory and Their Contemporary Relevance

Part I Theories of Balance of Power and Major Powers

Chapter 1 What Do Great Powers Balance Against and When?

Chapter 2 Great Powers in the Post-Cold War World: A Power Transition Perspective

Chapter 3 The Political Economy of Balance of Power Theory

Part II New Security Challenges and Balance of Power

Chapter 4 The War on Terrorism and the Balance of Power: The Paradoxes of American Hegemony

Chapter 5 The Balance of Power Paradox

Chapter 6 A World Not in the Balance: War, Politics, and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Part III Regional Subsystems and Balance of Power

Chapter 7 Europe Hedges Its Security Bets

Chapter 8 Revisiting Balance of Power Theory in Central Eurasia

Chapter 9 The International System and Regional Balance in the Middle East

Chapter 10 Bipolarity and Balancing in East Asia

Chapter 11 The South Asian Security Balance in a Western Dominant World

Chapter 12 Regime Type and Regional Security in Latin America: Toward a “Balance of Identity” Theory

Conclusions: Balance of Power at the Turn of the New Century

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8047-6742-4

1-4356-2571-4

OCLC:

1312725740