An Analytical Study of the Balance of Power Theories

Alignment, Structural Balance, and International Conflict in the Middle East, 1948-1978

“…In the literature, there are numerous studies on this subject. Perhaps the best are Morgenthau (1955), Caplow (1956), Kaplan (1957), Rosecrance (1963), Zinnes (1967), Wight (1977), and Niou, Ordeshook and Rose (1989). Among these fine works, the most elegant piece is still Theodore Caplosv's (1956) theory of alignment in triads.…”

Systemic interaction opportunities and war behavior∗

“…The classical "invisible hand" theory which undergirds Singer and Small's thesis is not complex although it is heavily dependent on several largely untested assumptions (see Zinnes, 1967;Healey and Stein, 1973). Essentially, it states that a system's stabilizing mechanism functions more effectively when its actors enjoy maximal freedom of maneuver or when aggregate interaction opportunities are maximal.…”

The Sincerity of the British Commitment to the Maintenance of the Balance of Power 1714–1763

“…5 A balance of power can be defined as 'a particular distribution of power among the state of that system such that no single state and no existing alliance has an "overwhelming" or "preponderant" amount of power.' 6 It is not an equality of power between two states or groups of states that is the defining characteristic, but rather the overall condition of the international system. 7 'In effect, any distribution is permissible as long as the power of each unit -state or alliance of states -in the system is less than the combined power of all the remaining units.'…”