Balance of power (international relations)...Balancing versus bandwagoning...Realism and balancing....The balance of power theory is a core tenet of both classical and neorealist theory and seeks to explain alliance formation.

Due to the neorealist idea of anarchism as a result of the international system, states must ensure their survival through maintaining or increasing their power in a self-help world.With no authority above the state to come to its rescue in the event of an attack by a hegemon, states attempt to prevent a potential hegemon from arising by balancing against it. According to Kenneth Waltz, founder of neorealism, "balance-of-power politics prevail wherever two, and only two requirements are met: that the order be anarchic and that it be populated by units wishing to survive".They can do this either through internal balancing, where a state uses internal efforts such as moving to increase economic capability, developing clever strategies and increasing military strength,or through "external balancing", which occurs when states take external measures to increase their security by forming allies. States happy with their place in the system are known as "status quo" states, while those seeking to alter the balance of power in their favor are generally referred to as "revisionist states" and aspire for hegemony, thus repairing the balance.Balancing versus.Further information:Bandwagoning
States choose to balance for two reasons. First, they place their survival at risk if they fail to curb a potential hegemon before it becomes too strong; to ally with the dominant power means placing one’s trust in its continued benevolence. Secondly, joining the weaker side increases the likelihood that the new member will be influential within the alliance.States choose to bandwagon because it may be a form of appeasement as the bandwagoner may hope to avoid an attack by diverting it elsewhere—a defensive reason—or because it may align with the dominant side in wartime to share the spoils of victory—an offensive reason.Realists claim that balancing is when states ally against the prevailing threat and results in a more secure world whereas in a bandwagoning world security is scarce as rising hegemons are not kept in check.With bandwagoning, the threatened state abandons hope of preventing the aggressor from gaining power at its expense and instead joins forces with its dangerous foe to get at least some small portion of the spoils of war.The weaker the state the more likely it is to bandwagon than to balance as they do little to affect the outcome and thus must choose the winning side. Strong states may change a losing side into a winning side and thus are more likely to balance. States will be tempted to bandwagon when allies are unavailable, however excessive confidence in allied support encourages weak states to free ride relying on the efforts of others to provide security. Since bandwagoning "requires placing trust in the aggressors continued forbearance" some realists believe balancing is preferred to bandwagoning.According to Stephen Walt, states are more likely to balance in peacetime but if they are on the losing side of a war they may defect and bandwagon in the hopes that they will "share the fruits of victory".

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_power_(international_relations)

Taken in: France / Île-de-France / Paris / Quartier du Gros-Caillou (show map)

Taken on: January 11, 2020

Tags:

france

tour

Eiffel

toureiffel

Paris

International

relation

Balancing

Versus

Neorealism

Theory

alliance

Formation

Bandwagon

Hopes

Victorious

Winning « less

Sets appears in: • Hey Feel Tower

Camera: Panasonic DMC-GX7, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, 136mm (=272mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-GX7
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	136mm (35mm equivalent: 272mm)
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto bracket
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Cloudy
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.0
Show full info

Stats: 1,837 views