Assignment task:
Today's international system, though many predicted the fall of the USSR would bring a period of indefinite American hegemony, has been defined by growing instability worldwide. This instability is in fact because America is trying to assert itself as the sole superpower.
International systems find their stability in checks on power. The more even two opposing powers are, the longer that system will last. The reason the Cold War lasted as long as it did was because the USSR and USA were very close in their capabilities. Without these checks on the US, other nations, such as China or Russia, are forced to adopt aggressive foreign and domestic policies to compete with the US, causing international turmoil.
This ties into the theory of national sovereignty in that the states that are put down under a unipolar system seek to grow their sovereignty in spite of the major power, severing economic ties and competing internationally.
Another example of a multipolar balance of power could be the Central Powers against the Entente leading up to the First World War. Both factions comprised of many different nations and cultures, and both factions had been in a period of relative peace during and since the scramble for Africa. However, economic competition between the UK and Germany, the two factions major powers, led to instability and paved the way for WW1.
It is interesting to note that power was not distributed evenly among the states in each faction or between the factions. Germany was stronger than Russia, but not when faced with French and British forces as well. Power does not need to be distributed evenly for an alliance to work and for the balance of power to remain intact. Even if it was, economic crashes, natural disasters, and other unforeseen events can cause a shifting in the balance of power, leading to redistributions of power between states. Need Assignment Help?
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