Balancing

Balancing refers to efforts to counter a state that is perceived as a threat.

In doing so, states have basically two options. One is INTERNAL BALANCING, which encompasses purely internal efforts to become stronger, or “moves to increase economic capability, to increase military strength, to develop clever strategies” (Waltz 1979, 118). Armaments play a key role in internal balancing.

The other option is EXTERNAL BALANCING, or “moves to strengthen and enlarge one’s own alliance or to weaken and shrink an opposing one” (Waltz 1979, 118). Walt defines external balancing as “allying with others against the prevailing threat” (Walt 1987).

As such, balancing is one of the many possible alignment strategies. Variants of balancing include soft balancing, institutional balancing and omnibalancing, to which other entries on this website are dedicated.