A Balance of Power Concept

 

A balance of power concept; saves the world from a catastrophic war; saves some countries such as Syracuse, Greek, and Europe nations from conflicts and war; monitors and maintains security, stability and peace.

 

Wichai Chucherd

 

Balance of power and power politics

 

In the last three decades, many scholars have agreed with the assumption that an international system is similar to mechanical system. Consequently, we could forecast a state behavior in the world society by considering their political power and important factors. However, this assumption lacks of the elusive considerations such as psychology factors (Luard 1992: x). Lacking of moral considerations, to examine power and a balance of power will not be able to understand how and why states act such they did. For this reason, in my essay, I will concentrate on both physical factors and mental factors such as fear and moral.

 

The idea of the ‘balance of power’ has been discussed for a several centuries. Some periods, politician, publicist, and academic accepted that it was a mechanism to prevent conflicts and war. In contrast, it can be seen as an origin of conflicts and war too. On this argument, I will discuss that the concept itself was useful and is useful for saving world community, the problems such as conflicts and war occurred because the interpretation of the idea and the nature of human behavior.

 

Dibb (1995: 6) characterizes the idea of a balance of power, each state will make sure that no one state can dominate the others. Whilst the traditional concept of the balance of power was announced by Matsanduno (1999: 28), it should be no unipolar system dominates the world, and Non-superpower State could change their alliance when they fall into an unbalance situation. We can argue that the concept is not clear: which state that we have to balance; and what is the ultimate goal of a balance of power, state security, region security or global security as a whole. For me, based on interests of world community and our next generations, I believe that the concept of a balance of power should be the balance of power for a whole and for the global security as a primary aim.

 

To answer the question: what, if anything, is secured by a balance of power, I will explore the successful of the concept in the past two millenniums and I will conclude how it work. Then I will argue concern the failure of the concept caused by some factors. After that, I hope we can draw to an answer of the question above. In the final part of my essay, I will summarize and make some recommendations.

 

War and violence that was prevented by the concept of the balance of power in the past

 

There are many examples of preventing war by the concept of the balance of power. In this case, the concept was seen as a mean of maintaining peace. Luard (1992: 2-3) explored in his work. In ancient Greek and Roman, Syracuse tried to make a balance with Rome by taking part with Carthage, Greek respond to Sparta, Athens, and Macedonia by the concept of the balance of power to prevent war. In the fifteenth-century, policies among nations in Europe tended to be a balance of power to avoid conflicts. Dibb (1995: 10) talked about the balance of power in Asia Chinese Empire and India tried to maintain a balance of power to prevent the conflicts between them.

 

Although the idea of a balance of power had taken place since before the ancient era, the concept and its successful were not obvious until 1648, when the Peace of Westphalia was signed. The Peace of Westphalia led to closing the terrible war in Europe, solving the religion conflict and stopping the period of Spain. In addition, it has brought up the approach of a balance of power to be well-known until now. Consequently, states can share enjoyment of power (Luard 1992: xii).

 

By the statistical data of war in Europe between 1792 and 1990 that divided into seven periods by the concept of the balance of power can illustrate us clearly. It pointed out that between balance of power 155 years period, the percentage of war happened less than the percentage of war happened in the period of unbalance of power 44 years (Mearsheimer 2001: 348-58). In addition, in the balance of power period, military died around 1.3 million, while in the unbalance period, they died about fourfold, 27 million (Mearsheimer 2001: 357).

 

It is undoubted to say that the concept of a balance of power in the past two millenniums quite succeeded. The balance of power in Europe since 17^th century had maintained peace and caused the unity of Europe society. The balance of power in the world in 20^th century caused nation-states, world organization and a balance of power in a local part of the world. However, the interesting thing that we should discuss in this step is how it succeeds.

 

The balance of power approach

 

Matsanduno (1999: 20) argued the reason of why a state has to seek a power, with a good statement. Based on realist in the anarchy society in the world, a state has to follow some tool such as a balance of power and diplomacy to reduce the effect of insecurity, violence and conflicts.

 

To achieve the status of balance of power, weak states may control the possibility of violence by emerging or challenging to a main power state (Dibb 1995: 9). A flexible alliance of the balance of power policy takes part effectively for the weak states to gain a balance (Luard 1992: 8).

 

How much security and power a state should have is the question asked all the times. For this issue, Luard (1992: 12) confined the concept of a balance power by stating that the state decision-makers who believe in balance of power would not produce a pure self-interests policy, in contrast, they will think about the interest as a whole.

 

Luard (1992: 13) suggested a method to seek a global interest. He mentioned the international law in the eighteenth century. He stated that states have a right to joint together against strong states to make a balance of power. Consequently, weak states can be safe from the powerful states.

 

It seems to be that if the world organizations are created, the international laws are established, the balance of power will be more successful, but in the realistic world, it is not easy. Like Mearsheimer (2001: 2-3) argued that the unipolar system which great powers dominate the international system is changeable. However, the great powers will always maintain their status, even thought they have to pay for the position by defending the balance of power. Therefore, it is inevitable to avoid a game of power. 

 

The balance of power in Asia: finding a new approach to regional security

 

Asia has never had a continuous period using the concept of a balance of power. The region suffers from inconstant social innovation caused by their culture and ideology, their military conflicts, their historical hostility, colonial invention, and the intervene form the great powers outside region. Furthermore, almost all of the countries in the region are such a new ‘nation-state’, which their age between two and fifty-seven years. They tend to concentrate on their domestic affairs than regional and international affairs.

  

China and India are interested in the region issue more than the others are. However, because of their ideologies and their perspective on politics and external issues, they do not apply the concept of a balance of power to be the approach of this region. For Japan in the WWII period, Japan occupied many parts of Asia, but she did not create a mechanism of solving the problems in the region like a balance of power any more. Another small power countries in the region such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Philippines, sometime they try to play a key role in the region and try to play a game of a balance of power, but they do not have a power by themselves. Therefore, they play a game of a balance of power by borrowing a power from outside region such as from the US and the Soviet Union.       

 

Until now, we can conclude that the concept of a balance of power in this region is still new. They have to try to get the way by themselves. To solve the problems of the region conflict may need some approach, which may be a balance of power or other kinds of approach that appropriate to the region and can solve their problems.

 

Problems with the concept of the balance of power

 

Many scholars attack the concept of balance of power such a thing which is invalid and expired idea. Moreover, the concept only concentrates on the military aspect.
We need a new approach, such as collective security, multilateralism, and globalization to save the world (Dibb 1995: 7).      

 

We have to accept that the concept caused some confusion. For example, how to justify a sufficient threat from other states, this problem can cause an armed race. Does it bring to a possibility of one state engage and intervene into another state business? Which states have to balance (Luard 1992: 23)? Therefore, the idea is not for peace, but it leads to conflicts and war (Luard 1992: 14-16).

 

However, the failures of the concept were not caused by the concept itself, but it was caused by the other limitations and factors. Luard (1992: 6-7) explains the limitations of the concept affected by religions, ideologies, and a single power (unipolar). Whilst Mearsheimer (2001: 3) talked about the fear, which push a state to gain more and more power to guarantee its interest and security. He added three reasons, which force state to fear each other: the lack of the world government to control states, the concern of each state to ensure the attention of other states, and the state ability to act aggressively.

 

Furthermore, competitions are inevitable produced balance of power came automatically, while policy-makers often damage a balance by their own self interests (Luard 1992: 17). In this case, the self-interests of each state direct foreign policies and influence the balance of power in the international relations. For examples, the great powers always try to seek a chance to gain more power by changing the balance of power. We can see from the character of Japan (1868-1945), German (1862-1945), the Soviet Union (1917-91), and Italy (1861-1943) (Mearsheimer 2001: 232).

 

I bring up the summary of this part by argue that the concept of a balance of power is a theory. It use for explanation, what did happen; use for predication, what will happen; and use for planning, what we have to do for ourselves. In the last case, it can force the future or some predication splitting form what it should be by the nature. Therefore, if we try to use the concept for the interest of the whole, it will be useful than we use it for just self-interest.

 

What is secured by a balance of power?

 

In conclusion, I state that peace and security of world community have been secured by the idea of a balance of power. It is the concept of equality of the human and it concentrates in global interest and global security than particular state interest.

 

Europe societies have benefited from the concept since they applied it in the past. It saved their lives and property, and gave them a chance to develop the countries. In the Cold War era, the concept has succeeded to prevent a catastrophic war.

 

However, to understand the concept and to apply it, are not easy, because we live in the anarchy world, which lacks of the effective world regime and effective international law. Moreover, states still play the primary role in the international relations. In consequence, a state always concentrates in its self-interest. 

 

To solve the problems of conflicts and war, by using the concept of a balance of power, may be we have to learn more about how states can live together side by side. Flexible foreign policies and alliances, no ideology and culture barriers, no unipolar and total victory, watchfulness (understand each other), universal concern or global interest, may be they are the essential answers. Global world, cooperative security, comprehensive security, and world organization may be they are the importance means.