considered in terms of polarity but in terms of the number of layers of policy “networks”2 instead. I base my argument on these two core assumptions about the international system also because they have been widely accepted not only in realism and neorealism, but in neoliberal institutionalism (Keohane 1984, etc.) and to some degree in constructivism (Wendt 1999, etc.) as well. They are thus not derivative from exclusively realist or neorealist beliefs, such as relative power maximization.
VVWith this, I now discuss why polarity is neither sufficient nor necessary to explain the balance of power. The question of sufficiency can be answered with respect to why balance of power does not always occur even in a multipolar or bipolar world, and that of necessity with respect to why balance of power can still occur even with unipolarity. According to Waltz, balance of power occurs when, given “two coalitions” formed in the international system, secondary states, if free to choose, will side with the weaker, so as to avoid being threatened by the stronger side (Waltz 1979, 127). This condition has led some to question the validity of BOP in a unipolar world, since two or more states need to coexist in the system in order for the theory to hold (Waltz 1979, 118). However, as I have said, once we accept the two core assumptions (that of anarchy and that of states being principle actors) this condition is not necessary for BOP to be relevant. The balance of power, as Waltz suggests, is a “result” – an outcome variable that reflects the causal effect of the explanatory variables which are, in his theory, anarchy and distribution of power in the international system. This tension within Waltz’s own argument has indeed invited criticism that his version of the BOP theory is essentially attempting to explain one dependent variable (the occurrence of balance of power) with another (polarity) (Lebow, 27). To sidestep this potential loophole, therefore, we need to assess the relevance of BOP by examining whether the same structural constraints that engender balancing in the multipolar or bipolar systems are also present in a unipolar world.
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8882. This term is directly borrowed from the title of Networked Politics by Miles Kahler, but numerous works have alluded to the same concept, such as those by Kathryn Sikkink, Martha Finnemore and Anne-Marie Slaughter, to name a few.
8883. Allan Smith, “Catholicism,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Web, November 1, 2012.