{"id":1445,"date":"2026-08-09T19:11:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/the-notion-of-balance-of-power-is-notoriously-full-of-confusion-upsc-psir-2016-3202\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:24:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:54:44","slug":"the-notion-of-balance-of-power-is-notoriously-full-of-confusion-upsc-psir-2016-3202","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/the-notion-of-balance-of-power-is-notoriously-full-of-confusion-upsc-psir-2016-3202\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe notion of balance of power is notoriously full of confusion.\u2019 In the light of this quotation, do you think that the concept of balance of power is relevant?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>\u2014 how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> realist device against domination, works in multipolarity <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Wight<\/b>\u2019s \u201cconfusion\u201d conceded, but located in <i>definition<\/i>, not use<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> concept notoriously confused <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Inis Claude<\/b> \u201ctoo many meanings,\u201d <b class=\"pq-sc\">Morgenthau<\/b>\u2019s four \/ <b class=\"pq-sc\">Haas<\/b>\u2019s eight <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> confusion definitional, not fatal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>sources of confusion (power hard to measure, interpretations differ, relations unpredictable) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> yet practical worth intact: prevents hegemony, manages security competition, explains alliances \/ power transitions <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Waltz<\/b>\u2019s structural pull (\u201cabhors unbalanced power\u201d) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> US\u2013China, NATO\u2013Russia, Quad <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> concept adapts not dies: <b class=\"pq-sc\">Walt<\/b>\u2019s balance of threat, <b class=\"pq-sc\">Paul<\/b>\u2019s soft balancing (direct balancing of US too costly)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>liberals: entrenches rivalry <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> stops operating under unipolarity <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> globalisation + transnational threats defy balancing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> confused in definition but resilient in practice<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> survives in altered forms <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> relevant, not redundant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[42],"pyq_marks":[35],"pyq_topic":[75],"pyq_paper":[69],"class_list":["post-1445","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-42","pyq_marks-15-marks","pyq_topic-key-concepts-in-international-relations","pyq_paper-paper-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4857,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1445\/revisions\/4857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}