Waltz

Kenneth Waltz begins his discussion of the balance of power by asking the question of whether or not it even exists. He asks whether or not it is an illusion or reality. He feels that it does exist and that it is strongly a part of states everyday reality. He feels this way, because he believes that a key factor to states, if not the most important factor is the one of survival. States are …

…a temporary and defensive, and therefore is not a balance of power, but just a system of collective security for the moment, to divide ourselves from Russia. Yet Waltz points out that this was a balance of power because it was motivated out of the fear of the Soviet power. The balance of power exists because of the fact that states joined together in order to help deter the Soviet Union from war and aggression.