Great powers are the most violent actors in the international system. Historically, wars involving great powers have resulted in millions of casualties, leading scholars to investigate how such powers can be restrained. But under what conditions do states use soft balancing (e.g. diplomacy, institutions) as opposed to hard balancing (e.g. arms races, alliances)? To what extent has this changed over time?

McGill University’s T.V. Paul  engaged with these intriguing questions at the Global Governance Centre's bi-weekly colloquium series on  Monday, May 13. The presentation was based on the book with the same title, which undertakes a historical analysis of examples of state behavior to constrain dominant actors.

According to T.V. Paul, balance of power in not dead. Rather, states continue to use more subtle forms of balancing to attain their strategic goal, and ultimately to prevent large scale war.

Our next event is titled "From Promises to Action: Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Workers in Conflict Zones" and is taking place on Tuesday, May 21, at 18.00 at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. Everyone is welcome to join!