Explain importance of power in international relations
Answers
Power in international relations is like the weather and just as meteorologists and farmers try to forecast storms and rains, similarly analysts and leaders try to understand the dynamics of major changes in the distribution of power among nations. Power transitions impact the fortunes of nations and are often associated with the disastrous storms of world war.
Like Love, Power is easier to experience than to measure or define. The dictionary tells us that power is the ability to do things and to control others to ultimately achieve one’s purposes or goals. However, Robert Dahl, who has a slightly different and extreme take on power, defines it as the ability to get others to do what they otherwise would not do.
This essay will focus and elaborate on the following question: “What is the meaning of power in International Relations?” The different types of power in IR has been clearly presented in three basic forms: Domineering Power, Compromise Power, United Power.