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By Michael Sheehan

The stability of energy is among the so much primary recommendations at the back of overseas politics and offers a constitution for explaining a number of the crucial rules at the back of diplomacy. but regardless of its common significance it is still an enigma and is surrounded by means of controversy. "The stability of Power" strains the evolution of the idea from the eighteenth century to the current day. It contains classical anlysis and up to date study to offer an in depth account of the concept that in perform and the operation of the foreign process whereas demanding conventional perspectives of the stability of strength. Its exploration of how the stability of energy operated in key historic sessions indicates how the commonly authorized improvement of the idea that relies on a false impression of the old truth.

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Extra resources for Balance of Power: History and Theory

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The Greek culture of this time demonstrated many of the elements which combined to produce balance of power theory in Europe 2,000 years later. That these factors did not combine to produce a similar effect in ancient Greece is important. Greece was composed of a very large number of independent states, including a core group of ‘great powers’ of approximately equal strength. The Greeks were passionately committed to the idea of independence and the autonomy of the individual city-states. The idea of unifying Greece into a single state ‘did not often occur to them, and when it did, it was usually greeted with genuine abhorrence’ (Watson, 1992:49).

This was important, because, as was seen in the previous chapter, the balance of power concept is embedded in a certain outlook on the nature of man, of power and relations between states within a system of international relations. Unless these are present, it is difficult to conceptualise and theorise about balance politics and this may well explain why the concept did not properly emerge until the nation-state itself began to, and became fully-fledged only when Europe began to constitute a true international system.

This was a highly significant development, anticipating the balancing role England would play in the next century. The possibility of needing force to dictate a settlement compelled Britain to think about the mechanisms of balance politics. In order to be decisive, Britain needed an enhanced military capability and the King asked Parliament for money to strengthen the Navy. Temple explained this in a letter to the Grand Pensionary of Holland, de Witt, in March 1668, ‘since we only draw a war upon ourselves by desiring a peace, to endeavour on the contrary to draw on the peace by making all the appearances of desiring a war’.

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