2. Balance of Power  A balance of power is a state of stability between competing forces. Simple balance of power  Simple balance of power aims to preservation of safety of the nationalities of the world.  In simple balance of power there are two powers/states required to establish a kind of parity between them.

The balance of power theory in international relations suggests that states may secure their survival by preventing any one state from gaining enough military power to dominate all others.

As a theory, balance of power predicts that rapid changes in international power and status—especially attempts by one state to conquer a region—will provoke counterbalancing actions. For this reason, the balancing process helps to maintain the stability of relations between states.

Thus as a status or condition, the balance of power has meant three things, namely,

• Equality or equilibrium of power among states resulting in balance.
• A distribution of power in which some states are stronger than others, and.
• Any distribution of power among states.

The goal of balance of power is to prevent any power from becoming too strong, first by deterring aggression, but if that fails, by ensuring that the aggressor does not significantly alter the balance of power. For realists, balance of power is born in the crucible of international anarchy.

How did it upset the Balance of Power? The Balance of Power was like the see-saw. It was dreadfully unbalanced. Originally included only France and Russia but as Britain increasingly feared the power of Germany, they joined as well.

war power – an extraordinary power exercised (usually by the executive branch) in the prosecution of a war and involving an extension of the powers that the government normally has in peacetime.

A prevalent argument in the literature on international relations is that rapid shifts in relative power create tensions that can lead to war. When relative power changes over time, the declining state worries that the rising one will exploit its increased strength in the future.

How Can You Help Work Toward Peace? The balance of power is just one possible way of keeping the world free of devastating conflicts. There are many other schools of thought and many other strategies for creating/preserving peace. There are also many people and institutions involved in ensuring global stability.

So, yes, the concept of balance of power is still relevant in contemporary international politics. Moreover balance of power consists of external and internal balancing. In the former, the state looks for external alliances as deterrence and in the latter it builds up its own strength again for deterrence.