Fourth footnote to the post titled “The Virtues of Anarchy”

In sum, it is all about the balance of power, but particularly, the balance of power between the three major powers of the international system, namely, America, Russia, and China. These three major powers are in a “club” of their own because of the inequality of power between them and all other states. All other states orient themselves to the emerging balance of power between the three major powers for their own security and survival. In turn, the “overriding element” of the relationship between the three major powers is the management or prevention of international crises, as Bull argued. But the peace is kept between the three major powers in a very tenuous way, namely, by virtue of mutual nuclear deterrence. Our peace is a “nuclear peace” with the other two major powers, and as a result, a more “positive peace” between the major powers cannot emerge out of mutual nuclear deterrence. At times, the major powers will disrupt the balance of power and cause conflicts and wars, as was the case with the United States at the start of the 21st century or in the case of Russia in terms of Ukraine recently. As a result, major powers may not always hold themselves to the mutually understood rules that are established between great powers or the norms of crisis management and prevention which the major powers are expected to follow.