(Page 2 of 20) - Hans J. Morgenthau?s Conception of the Balance of Power authored by Little, Richard.

Abstract

Although Morgenthau is regularly identified as the father of modern realism, and the

precusor of neoclassical realism, there have been few systematic attempts to unpack the theory of
international politics that is embedded in his central text - Politics Among Nations. The more
prevalent tendency has been for analysts to ransack his writings looking for quotations that confirm
their particular take on his approach to international politics. Such a strategy never proves to be
convincing, however, because Morgenthau?s assessment of international politics is both complex
and ambiguous. As a consequence, it is very difficult to pigeon hole him. The aim of this paper is
to provide a sympathetic reading of Politics Among Nations that attempts to overcome the
confusion and inconsistency that is frequently associated with Morgenthau's approach. To this
end, two main moves are made. First, I approach the text from the perspective of the balance of
power ? identified as the central concept in his theory. Second, I try to demonstrate that
Morgenthau?s approach to the balance of power is more pluralistic than is generally recognised -
conflating two distinctively different dynamic processes. One associates the balance of power with
the unintended outcome of Great Powers engaged in a drive for hegemony. The other dynamic is
associated with a complex set of social, ideational and material factors that ameliorate the effects
of the first dynamic and assist the Great Powers in maintaining an equilibrium that promotes their
collective security and common interests. In practice, Morgenthau makes no explicit attempt to
distinguish these two dynamics, and so it needs to be acknowledged that this is a reading that is
being imposed on his text. It is argued, however, that some of the incoherence and confusion that
has been associated with Morgenthau?s approach to international politics can be reduced by
making the two dynamics explicit. Moreover, it also becomes easier to see why Morgenthau
argues that there have been two fundamental transformation points in the development of
international politics over the past five hundred years - an assessment that shares some common
ground with contemporary constructivist

Although Morgenthau is regularly identified as the father of modern realism, and the
precusor of neoclassical realism, there have been few systematic attempts to unpack
the theory that is embedded in his central text Politics Among Nations.

The more

prevalent tendency has been to ransack the text, looking for quotations that expose a
reductionist view of politics. Donnelly(2000), for example, draws on selected
quotations to identify Morgenthau as a biological realist. Morgenthau’s writings,
however, are more subtle and complex than is often appreciated, so it is impossible to
pigeon hole him in this way. I offer a more pluralistic and sympathetic reading of
Politics Among Nations that attempts to overcome the confusion and inconsistency
that is frequently associated with Morgenthau's approach.

To this end, two main

moves are made. First, I approach the text from the perspective of the balance of
power – identified as the central concept in his theory. Second, I try to demonstrate
that Morgenthau’s approach to the balance of power is more pluralistic than is
generally recognised - conflating two distinct dynamic processes. One associates the
balance of power with the unintended outcome of great powers engaged in a
mechanistic drive for hegemony. The other dynamic is associated with a complex set
of social, ideational and material factors that ameliorate the effects of the first
dynamic by helping the great powers to maintain an equilibrium that promotes their
collective security and common interests. In practice, Morgenthau makes little attempt
to separate these two dynamics. It is argued here, however, that distinguishing these
dynamics eliminates some of the incoherence and confusion associated with
Morgenthau’s approach to international politics.

Acknowledging that there are two different balance of power dynamics,

moreover, makes it easier to identify and assess the overall thesis that runs through

Still regarded as a key text in the realist canon, the first edition was published in 1948 Politics Among

Nation. The fifth and final edition for which Morgenthau was responsible was published in 1973 and
references in this chapter are to this edition. A seventh edition was published in 2005.

See Claude(1962) for an insightful discussion of some of the problems surrounding Morgenthau’s use

of the balance of power.