The Balance of Power in World History

The balance of power is one of the most influential ideas in international relations, yet it has never been comprehensively examined in pre-modern or non-European contexts. This book redresses this imbalance. The authors present eight new case studies of balancing and balancing failure in pre-modern and non-European international systems.

The balance of power is one of the most influential ideas in the theory and practice of international relations and it plays a central role in both scholarly debates about international politics and policy debates about the current dominance of the United States at the start of the twenty-first century. Although it is often treated as a universal concept, theorizing about the balance of power is almost entirely based on the experience of modern European history. The theory has never been systemically and comprehensively examined in pre-modern or non-European contexts. This book aims to redress this shortcoming. It presents eight new case studies of balancing and balancing failure in pre-modern and non-European international systems. The inescapable conclusion emerging from this collective, multidisciplinary and international research is that much of the conventional wisdom about the balance of power cannot survive contact with non-European evidence.

Introduction:
Balance and Hierarchy in International Systems
S.J.Kaufman, R.Little &
W.C.Wohlforth Balancing and Balancing Failure in Biblical Times: Assyria and the Ancient Middle Eastern System 900-600 BCE
S.J.Kaufman &
W.C.Wohlforth The Greek City States in the Fifth Century BCE: Persia and the Balance of Power
R.Little Intra-Greek Balancing, the Mediterranean Crisis of ca. 201-200 B.C., and the Rise of Rome
A.M.Eckstein The Forest and the King of Beasts: Hierarchy and Opposition in Ancient India (c.500 - c.232 BCE)
W.J.Brenner The Triumph of Domination in the Ancient Chinese System
V.Tin-bor Hui 'A Republic for Expansion': The Roman Constitution and Empire and Balance of Power Theory
D.Deudney Hierarchy and Resistance in the American State-Systems, 1400-1800 CE
C.Jones Stability and Hierarchy in East Asian International Relations, 1300 to 1900CE
D.C.Kang Conclusion: Theoretical Insights from the Study of World History
S.J.Kaufman, R.Little &
W.C.Wohlforth