Iran's Balance of Power Analysis in Realism and Neorealism Approaches

Assistant Professor; Political Science Department, University of TehranRegional balance is considered as one of the most important issues for international and national security scholars. Each scholar has attempted to explain several aspects of balance of power. Some believe that without balance, the international system will not last. While the other hold the opinion that emphasis upon the issue of regional balance by superpowers means ignoring the necessities of the regional countries behavior, therefore, great power intervention in the process of regional balance makes theoretical and analytical indicats of this theory inefficient. On the other hand, geopoliticians also focus on the manner of geographical, political and strategic interaction. They argue that geopolitical changes will come naturally from changes in the above mentioned factors of defence and security policy. This will change the regional balance of power. If the changing balance of power continues, there will be regional conflicts. So geopoliticians like international relations theorists are emphasizing the need for balance of power in maintaining the regional balance and stability. Regional fields are considered as mid-level geopolitical area. Thus, the balance of power requires that actors of international system should match and any increase in a rival's power could change the balance condition.