Polarity In International Politics

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Morgenthau said that “International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power.” The world of global politics is dynamic where every action results in a complex outcome. International relations are affected by sovereign states, militias, terrorists, strategic alliances and global organizations. However, there is uncertainty in the world due to natural disasters, environmental changes, economic instability and geographic, as well as demographic changes. In order to process the intricate global dynamics, power is distributed through the system of polarity. Polarity is the state of having opposite or contradictory opinions or ideas. Three types of polar systems exist: unipolar, bipolar and multipolar. Unipolarity describes the command of one state on “an especially large share of the resources or capabilities it can use to achieve …show more content…

A unipolar state has a high degree of clarity and predictability due to the presence of the hegemon. However, the system possesses low stability due to the frequent uproars and revolts against the hegemon. The preponderance of Sparta in Greece after the Peloponnesian War was indicative of a unipolar system. Bipolarity refers to a system wherein the hegemon and a challenger possess the majority of economic, military and cultural power. In such a system, conflicts ensue between the hegemon and the challenger and there’s a high cost of war as the two states continue to outbid each other. However, a stalemate between the two powers usually results in a high level of stability. The dispute between the United

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