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The Balance of Power in International Relations: Metaphors, Myths and Models
The balance of power has been a central concept in the theory and practice of international relations for the past five hundred years. It has also played a key role in some of the most important attempts to develop a theory of international politics in the contemporary study of international relations. In this 2007 book, Richard Little establishes a framework that treats the balance of power as a metaphor, a myth and a model. He then uses this framework to reassess four major texts that use the balance of power to promote a theoretical understanding of international relations: Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations (1948), Hedley Bull's The Anarchical Society (1977), Kenneth N. Waltz's Theory of International Politics (1979) and John J. Mearsheimer's The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001). These reassessments allow the author to develop a more comprehensive model of the balance of power.
- GenresPolitics
328 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 19, 2025
I am too lazy to write a long review, so to keep it short:
Pretty good read if you are interested in the classics of realist IR theory (few people are, though). Don't spend time reading this book if you aren't.
The broader discussion of philosophy of language and science, as well as theoretical approaches in IR, in the first part, is solid. Informed by these arguments, Little builds a metatheoretical lens through which the balance of power can be viewed and analyzed.
The book then discusses and provides the author's reading of Morgenthau, Bull, Waltz, and Mearsheimer in relation to his metatheoretical conceptualization of the balance of power. This is by far the best part of the book, as it quite convincingly shows there is more depth to be had with them than you would assume by reading journal articles.
The book closes with a broad outline of the identified key components of balance of power theory and discusses them in relation to the emerging international order.
Since the book was written in 2007, this is mainly about the US preponderance of power/unipolarity/hegemony. A weak point in the discussion is that the author missed the changing usage and norms about nuclear weapons, including the possibility of limited non-nuclear war between great powers, and hence comes to a too optimistic conclusion about future cooperation. But no one has a crystal ball, least of all IR theorists :)
Pretty good read if you are interested in the classics of realist IR theory (few people are, though). Don't spend time reading this book if you aren't.
The broader discussion of philosophy of language and science, as well as theoretical approaches in IR, in the first part, is solid. Informed by these arguments, Little builds a metatheoretical lens through which the balance of power can be viewed and analyzed.
The book then discusses and provides the author's reading of Morgenthau, Bull, Waltz, and Mearsheimer in relation to his metatheoretical conceptualization of the balance of power. This is by far the best part of the book, as it quite convincingly shows there is more depth to be had with them than you would assume by reading journal articles.
The book closes with a broad outline of the identified key components of balance of power theory and discusses them in relation to the emerging international order.
Since the book was written in 2007, this is mainly about the US preponderance of power/unipolarity/hegemony. A weak point in the discussion is that the author missed the changing usage and norms about nuclear weapons, including the possibility of limited non-nuclear war between great powers, and hence comes to a too optimistic conclusion about future cooperation. But no one has a crystal ball, least of all IR theorists :)
Displaying 1 of 1 review