Beyond Trending: What is balance of power?

These dynamics form the analytical foundation of the balance of power, a concept that helps explain how states respond to shifting distributions of power and perceived threats.

Balance of power

The term balance of power indicates the relative distribution of power among states into equal or unequal shares. Inequality and potential for violence, which characterise the international system, encourage states to maintain and preserve equilibrium: dominant states guard against potential challengers, while others form an alliance to restrain a potential hegemonic state. 

Michael Sheehan, in his book, The Balance of Power: History & Theory (1996), says: “The phrase ‘balance of power’ implies a certain permanence – a ‘balance’ is a finished product. The reality of international relations, however, is that movement and change, not stasis are its characteristic features…

“Power is never permanently balanced, rather the states must be permanently engaged in the act of balancing power, of adjusting and refining it in response to the perpetual ebb and flow of power within the system.”

Martin Griffiths, Terry O’Callaghan, and Steven C. Roach note certain conditions that the balance of power systems have: i) a multiplicity of sovereign states unconstrained by any legitimate central authority; ii) continuous but controlled competition over scarce resources or conflicting values; iii) an unequal distribution of status, wealth, and power potential among the political actors that make up the system.

Evolving dynamics in West Asia 

These conditions help explain the evolving dynamics between the US, Iran, and other regional powers. The US under President Donald Trump projects power to demand that Iran agree to permanently cease all uranium enrichment, accept limits on its ballistic missile programme and end support for regional militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to media reports. 

Iran, on the other hand, remains defensive and resists what it perceives as an attempt at strategic dominance by the US. It has even threatened to instantly strike US bases and aircraft carriers in the region in response to any attack.

All the while, Arab Gulf states fear an uncontainable war and see the Iran nuclear deal as central to achieving a new balance of power in the region. Alongside economic concerns, these states, as noted by Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American academic and expert on regional conflicts and US foreign policy, are also “wary of creating a Middle East in which Israel has free rein…”. However, it remains to be seen whether diplomacy or war will define this new balance of power. 

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