Concept information
Preferred term
balance of power
Definition
- Balance of power in international relations refers to the effort by states, in the face of a threat to security projected by a hostile, powerful third state, to offset aggression through association. The balance of power operates most effectively in a central system of three to five member states—neither too few nor too many—and roughly equal power, so that each state possesses enough weight to count in the balance. [Source: The Encyclopedia of Political Science; Balance of Power]
Broader concept
Belongs to group
URI
https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/balance_of_power
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