Does the balance of power maintain international order rather than Essay

Does the balance of power maintain international order rather than peace - Essay Example Thus, the alliance of countries that shifts the balance of power is usually motivated by self interests rather than peace (Claude, 1989). Balance of power ensures that each country maximizes its security and thus effectively leading to international order. The other motivation for balance of power is the prevention of hegemony. No state desires to see another power exercising complete influence on it or others. Thus, nations may form alliances so as to neutralize the emergency of hegemony. The result is that the alliances countercheck each other and as a result there is international order. It should be noted that peace is attained on condition that the creation of hegemony is averted (Freedman, 1989). In some instances, balance of power is a core component of peace. This is evident in situations where the defeat of a Great Power results in a power vacuum. In order to prevent any other country from gaining extreme influence, the defeated power may be shown leniency so as to preserve peace. In conclusion, it is evident that the main motivating factor for balance of power is to maintain order. Countries form alliances in order to guarantee their own survival. Introduction Balance of power is a concept that forms a core part of international relationships. ... Theories have been fronted to explain the concept of balance of power and its origins. According to Bass, a state may respond to a threat in its national security by joining forces with other threatened states. This leads to formation of alliances that cause a shift in the dynamics of power. Although it is difficult to measure â€Å"power† in absolute terms, shifting of political alliances usually play a critical role the amount of influence that a nation or nations exercise internationally (Claude, pp. 80-81). As such, the countries are engaged in theatrics to continually counter check each other in terms of the power that they wield against each other. On the other hand, balance of power may be taken as a system or guide to policy making in international relationships. Butterfield (1966) suggests that balance of power is an organic and natural response of individual states to the dynamics of politics on the international scale. In essence, balance of power is a methodology f or self preservation which may not be necessary be motivated by a current threat (Henrikson, 1981 p. 157). This essay aims to discuss the role of balance of power in international relationships among countries. It evaluates critically how balance of power relates to international order and peace in the globe. Various historical scenes are evaluated to give a clear illustration of how balance of power shaped the political landscapes world. Balance of power for international order and peace The international political landscape is inevitably dynamic and prone to various rapid changes. Therefore, countries continually seek to find ways of strengthening themselves so as to be a good position to attain their interests of prosperity. In the process of strengthening themselves

Letter to Executive of Local Network Research Proposal

Letter to Executive of Local Network - Research Proposal Example These two principles are: Undertaking initiatives that lead towards promotion of a high level of responsibility towards the environment. Encouragement of adopting, developing and diffusing technology that is friendly to the environment. This submission will review and present a selection of business practices and/or approaches from Chevron, as well as other companies in the similar industry, which may be applicable in the effort to achieve the compliance to both of the mentioned principles of the Global Compact. Additionally, it will discuss lessons learnt from these approaches. It will, as well, develop business practice recommendations that will lead to an improvement in complying with the Global Compact principles. Finally it will provide discussions of the advantages, disadvantages and implications for key stakeholders, in case implementation of these recommendations is successful. Business practices and approaches that may be used Chevron is a multinational energy corporation th at bases its principles on promoting high levels environmental responsibility. At Chevron, we are committed to satisfying the world’s energy requirements while at the same time, taking appropriate measures to protect the environment. It is our belief that protecting the environment is the right thing to do especially in a world which needs a clean, healthy, and safe environment with regards to energy sources. As a consequence of this, we opted to make the task of reducing pollution and waste, conserving natural resources, and minimizing potentially negative environmental effects of our operations and tasks, our priority (Jakobeit 2008). The first practices we incorporate to ensure compliance to the two principles of the Global Compact is protecting the environment by making sure we use safe, reliable, healthy, efficient, and environmental friendly processes. We also respect and conserve biodiversity because we know about the significance of the complexity of nature. In additi on, we are keen on preserving fresh water resources because we are familiar with the importance of fresh water as a primary social, economic, and environmental resource. Finally, we have invested in the production of alternative energy sources that have no environmental effects such as solar, bio-fuel, and wind, and other renewable energy ventures (Johnson 2101). Positive and negative lessons learnt from these business practice and approaches The practices we have in play have a crucial role in helping us comply with the two principles of the Global Compact. The use of safe, reliable, healthy, efficient, and environmental friendly processes in protecting the environment has significantly improved our ability to identify and establish conservation areas (Rashce and Kell 2010). On the other hand, respecting biodiversity has helped us to protect habitats, by preventing the introduction of insidious mammal species and spread of weeds, as well as protecting endangered species. Preservati on of fresh water resources has enabled us partner with local communities where we have plants for the benefit of those people as well as our business. In doing so, we developed a working strategy that ensures water resources have the first priority in our operations (Rashce and Kell 2010). When it comes to the use of alternative energy sources, we have realized a significant reduction in cost of production meaning that it is cheap to use renewable and natural energy sources. Of all the positive lessons learn