State Cooperation: Examining Reasons, Security, and Balance of Power

This essay delves into the multifaceted reasons behind state cooperation, highlighting the improvement of economic, political, and military operations as primary drivers. It explores the concept of supranationalism and the formation of regional military alliances aimed at balancing power and establishing peacekeeping forces. The essay discusses how the urge for economic development and the decline in military alliances have led to increased economic cooperation among states, including the removal of trade barriers and the establishment of shared currencies. It also examines factors that hinder cooperation, such as state instability, terrorism, internal conflicts, and the impact of globalization. Furthermore, the essay analyzes the balance of power theory, emphasizing how states cooperate to enhance their security and eliminate threats, ultimately aiming to create a stable and secure international environment. Desklib offers a wealth of resources for students seeking to further explore these complex topics, including past papers and solved assignments.

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STATE COOPERATION
Name of the student
Subject Name:
Date:

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List of variables
Cooperate: - It is an idea of acting or working with another party or individual or others in the
society to attain a common goal. State cooperation comprise of act of assisting a given state or
complying with their requests around the global community.
Supranationlism: - It refers to the large amount of power offered to the authority that in
hypothesis is placed greater than the state. It involves intergovenmentalism that focuses on the
importance of member states in the process that deal with creation of EU-wide policies.
Globalization: - It is the process that comprise of interaction as well as integration among
people, organizations, and authorities in different nations or states around the global society
Multilateralism: - This is a term used to refer to the alliance that exists between multiple states
or nations that are pursuing a shared goal or target.
North America Free Agreement on Trade (NAFTA): - It is an agreement that had been signed
by three different states such as Mexico, Canada, and the US with the aim of creating the
trilateral bloc of trade in North America. It came into force on early days of 1994.

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Why do states cooperate?
States cooperates for various reasons that include improving their economic, political,
and military operations. They cooperate to attain supranationlism that involve the movement of
different states to organize for political, military, economic, or cultural cooperation. For
example, such cooperation is useful in promoting shared objectives of different activities that can
help the states to operate effectively1. The cooperation of states do arises when the states need to
achieve devolution among them in the global society. Moreover, states cooperate to form
regional military alliances2. These alliances can be formed to help states in balancing the power
between them, hence, leading to equal strength between opposing alliances. Cooperation of
states can help different states to establish peacekeeping force essential in enhancing the
wellbeing of their citizens. For instance, the global along with regional organization such as the
UN were established to prevent the 3rd world conflict in the 20th century and to offer protection to
nations from the foreign attack3. During the duration of cold conflict era, most states joined the
UN and regional corporations with the objective of preventing the third global conflict from
occurring among the states.
1 James Lebovic.. “Cooperation in International Security.” International Studies Review 13, no.3 2011): 489.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-2486.2011.01044.x (accessed October 4, 2018).
2 Posner, Eric A. “Balance-Of-Powers Arguments, the Structural Constitution, and the Problem of Executive
‘Underenforcement.’” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 164 no.7 (2016.): 1677–1714.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=119656933&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4,
2018).
3 Christopher Bovis. “Efficiency and Effectiveness in Public Sector Management: The Regulation of Public Markets
and Public-Private Partnerships and Its Impact on Contemporary Theories of Public Administration.” European
Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review 8 no.2 (2013): 192 (accessed October 4, 2018).

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The urge to increase economic development has given rise for different states to work
together so as they can improve in their economic status. States cooperate because of decline in
the military-alliance making them turn to economic cooperation4. Furthermore, states cooperate
to increase development through economic support by ensuring that they attain farm subsidies5.
These subsidies can help states to get money that they can pay to supplement incomes of their
farmers. For example, states cooperate to ensure that they increase free trade through the process
of removing any existing barrier that includes tariffs, border crossing concerns, requirements of
passports, and opening new branches of banks, and introducing a shared currency such as euro or
dollars. Other supranational organization such as North America Free Agreement on Trade that
comprises of US, Canada, together with Mexico among other states cooperated to remove
barriers to trade between them in the markets. States also cooperate to help in controlling prices
and supplies of different products and services within the region6. Other states cooperated to
form UN that aimed at establishing forces for peacekeeping. For instance, process of
peacekeeping among states relies on the voluntary contribution of troops from different members
of the Security Council to prevent intervention.
Reasons leading to cooperation among states
Cooperation of states does not arise overnight, but the seeds of their fall apart are sown
deep within their political settings. The collapse in the institutions of states leads to less
4 Ryngaert, Cedric. “State Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.” International
Criminal Law Review 13 no.1 (2013.): 125–46. doi:10.1163/15718123-01301003 (accessed October 4, 2018).
5 Robert Robertson, and Roush Corey. “Procedural and Substantive Differences in Merger Challenges by Different
Authorities in the United States.” Antitrust Bulletin 58 no.2/3 (2013): 214. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=90668010&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).
6 Soule, T. “Evolutionary Dynamics of Tag Mediated Cooperation with Multilevel Selection.” Evolutionary
Computation 19 no.1 (2011): 33. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=58019060&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).

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cooperation of states. Involvement in terrorism activities make some states to be less likely to
cooperate with others as most organizations will always be against their existence7. High
instances of conflict in a state make it tough for it to cooperate with other states that value
peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. The inability to accommodate the diverse aspirations
of ethnicities of people in different regions has also contributed to less cooperation8. Such
instances of powerlessness to oblige various yearnings of ethnicities have dependably prompted
the separation of various states into littler ones like in Eastern Europe making the cooperation to
be less. For instance, cases of globalization have affected how states cooperate. For instance,
globalization has made it tough for states that are not advanced in technological usage to
cooperate with well developed states around the globe9. Most modernized states only focuses on
cooperating with states that are also well developed as a way of ensuring that they advance in
their economic development.
War that arises in the era of superpower makes it tough or nearly impossible for states
that are having a grudge to cooperate with others. For instance, during the Cold conflict era, the
US along with the Soviet Union remained to be the globe’s two superpowers10. Their supremacy
reduces the number of states that they cooperated with since most nations feared to cooperate
7 Ryngaert, Cedric. “State Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.” International
Criminal Law Review 13 no.1 (2013.): 125–46. doi:10.1163/15718123-01301003 (accessed October 4, 2018).
8 Chad Nelson. “Why the Great Powers Permitted the Creation of an American Hegemon.” Political Science
Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 132 no.4 (2017): 698. doi:10.1002/polq.12701 (accessed October 4, 2018).
9 Moritz Hetzer, and Sornette Didier. “An Evolutionary Model of Cooperation, Fairness and Altruistic Punishment
in Public Good Games.” PLoS ONE 8 no.11 (2013): 7. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077041 (accessed October 4,
2018).
10 Soule, T. “Evolutionary Dynamics of Tag Mediated Cooperation with Multilevel Selection.” Evolutionary
Computation 19 no.1 (2011.): 25–43. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=58019060&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).

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with them both in political, military, and economic sector11. The idea of controlling trade by
some nations harms oneself and thereby harm the opponent that in most times pulls out of
cooperation. For example, dominance in any activity by a state that collaborates with other states
always reduces the way states cooperate as they always decide to end relationship in ensuring
that they can also try to explore new ventures to remain dominant in the marketplace.
States cooperate to achieve theory of balance of power
The theory of balance of power in global relation states that, security of a nation is
improved when resources of military is dispersed so that no single status is firm enough to
control others during their operations. The theory suggests that if one state becomes much strong
when compared to other states, the hypothesis predicts that it will exploit its quality and also
assault weaker neighbors12. Such moves will then offer the motivating force for those debilitated
to join in the guarded alliance. Notwithstanding, hypothesis of balance of power states that some
realist that maintain state cooperation would be steadier as animosity may seem ugly and would
be deflected if there is proximity of balance of intensity between the opponent alliances. Along
these lines, this hypothesis demonstrates that when any state is affected by the huge outer risk,
then it may wish to shape collaboration to adjust to the trend. The adjusting of these states
remains to be the allying with other states against the prevailing danger. However, states that
have bandwagon have aligned with the danger. For example, theory also states that different
nations might also be ready to employ other alliance tactics that include chain-ganging and buck-
passing. Therefore, theory of balance of power in states cooperation is one of the most seasoned
11 Cedric Ryngaert. “State Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.” International
Criminal Law Review 13 no.1 (2013): 136. doi:10.1163/15718123-01301003 (accessed October 4, 2018).
12 Zhengyu Wu. “Classical Geopolitics, Realism and the Balance of Power Theory.” Journal of Strategic Studies 41
no.6 (2018): 796. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1379398 (accessed October 4, 2018).

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and most imperative ideas in principle of worldwide relations13. For example, operations of this
theory involve the rule- based framework that illustrates that the capacity of states makes them to
be predominance to one another.
States cooperate to attain improved security
The theory states that goal of states cooperation is to have a security dimension that is
installed in a critical position of intensity until the point when the states’ issues are taken care of
as show by some type of multilateralism. It is noticed that the hypothesis of parity of intensity
works best if states do not hesitate to adjust their activities to some other country or where the
attachment of coalitions is moderately low so that on a specific doubt there can be changes in
arrangement14. Theory of balance of power itself says nothing concerning how the mutual gains
from cooperation of different states can be distributed globally. The theory illustrates that the
deal formed by different cooperation of states may become appealling to commercial interests in
every state15. For example, major powers have rarely balanced against different nations such as
the US making states that they collaborate with them to be superpower in their assistance16. In
global connections, it refers to condition of being non harmony among states or unions to keep
13 Blanco, Rodriguez. “Authorities: Conflicts, Cooperation and Transnational Legal Theories.” Modern Law Review
79 no.1 (2016): 196. doi:10.1111/1468-2230.12173 (accessed October 4, 2018).
14 Eric Posner. “Balance-Of-Powers Arguments, the Structural Constitution, and the Problem of Executive
‘Underenforcement.’” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 164 no.7 (2016): 1679.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=119656933&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4,
2018).
15 Nelson, Chad E. “Why the Great Powers Permitted the Creation of an American Hegemon.” Political Science
Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 132 no.4 (2017.): 685–718. doi:10.1002/polq.12701 (accessed October 4, 2018).
16 Blanco Rodriguez. “Authorities: Conflicts, Cooperation and Transnational Legal Theories.” Modern Law Review
79 no.1 (2016): 199. doi:10.1111/1468-2230.12173 (accessed October 4, 2018).

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any single element from winding up too firm and accordingly achieving the ability to implement
its will upon the rest
States cooperate to eliminate security threat amid their operations
There is need for different states to recognize extreme power as a threat to their security
and to respond by taking different measures jointly, individually, or both. For example, such
measure can help in enhancing the military power for different states that lack cooperative17. In
line with lack of state cooperation, this theory states that there have been various challenges to
the conventional realist wisdom during the process of balancing that is more prevalent compared
to bandwagoning act. For example, according to this theory of balance of power, it states that
lack of cooperation arise due to irregular characteristics that focuses in military and material
capacities among awesome forces18. Lack of state cooperation always arises when states of great
powers lack various mechanisms essential in restoring the balance that incorporate interior
military advancement.
Reference List
Bovis, Christopher H. “Efficiency and Effectiveness in Public Sector Management: The
Regulation of Public Markets and Public-Private Partnerships and Its Impact on
Contemporary Theories of Public Administration.” European Procurement & Public
Private Partnership Law Review 8 no.2 (2013.): 186–99.
17 Lester Salamon, and Toepler Stefan. “Government-Nonprofit Cooperation: Anomaly or Necessity?” Voluntas:
International Journal of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations 26 no.6 (2015): 2168. doi:10.1007/s11266-015-9651-
6 (accessed October 4, 2018).
18 Brock Tessman, and Wolfe Wojtek. “Great Powers and Strategic Hedging: The Case of Chinese Energy Security
Strategy.” International Studies Review 13 no.2 (2011): 224. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2486.2011.01022.x (accessed
October 4, 2018).

9
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=89580204&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).
Hetzer, Moritz, and Didier Sornette. “An Evolutionary Model of Cooperation, Fairness and
Altruistic Punishment in Public Good Games.” PLoS ONE 8 no.11 (2013.): 1–13.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077041 (accessed October 4, 2018).
Lebovic, James H. “Cooperation in International Security.” International Studies Review 13 no.3
(2011.): 488–94. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2486.2011.01044.x.
Nelson, Chad E. “Why the Great Powers Permitted the Creation of an American Hegemon.”
Political Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 132 no.4 (2017.): 685–718.
doi:10.1002/polq.12701 (accessed October 4, 2018).
Posner, Eric A. “Balance-Of-Powers Arguments, the Structural Constitution, and the Problem of
Executive ‘Underenforcement.’” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 164 no.7
(2016.): 1677–1714. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=119656933&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).
Robertson, J. Robert, and Corey W. Roush. “Procedural and Substantive Differences in Merger
Challenges by Different Authorities in the United States.” Antitrust Bulletin 58 no.2/3
(2013.): 201–23. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=90668010&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).
Rodriguez, Blanco, Veronica. “Authorities: Conflicts, Cooperation and Transnational Legal
Theories.” Modern Law Review 79 no.1 (2016.): 193–201. doi:10.1111/1468-2230.12173
(accessed October 4, 2018).

10
Ryngaert, Cedric. “State Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.”
International Criminal Law Review 13 no.1 (2013.): 125–46. doi:10.1163/15718123-
01301003 (accessed October 4, 2018).
Salamon, Lester, and Stefan Toepler. “Government-Nonprofit Cooperation: Anomaly or
Necessity?” Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations 26
no.6 (2015.): 2155–77. doi:10.1007/s11266-015-9651-6 (accessed October 4, 2018).
Soule, T. “Evolutionary Dynamics of Tag Mediated Cooperation with Multilevel Selection.”
Evolutionary Computation 19 no.1 (2011.): 25–43.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=58019060&site=ehost-live (accessed October 4, 2018).
Tessman, Brock, and Wojtek Wolfe. “Great Powers and Strategic Hedging: The Case of Chinese
Energy Security Strategy.” International Studies Review 13 no.2 (2011.): 214–40.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-2486.2011.01022.x (accessed October 4, 2018).
Wu, Zhengyu. “Classical Geopolitics, Realism and the Balance of Power Theory.” Journal of
Strategic Studies 41 no.6 (2018.): 786–823. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1379398
(accessed October 4, 2018).