Polarità e stabilità del sistema internazionale

The stability of the international system is one of the most controversial issues discussed by the scholars of international relations in the last forty years. Some students argue that the stability is best preserved by an even distribution of power between states or coalitions. Others, however, claim that only the concentration of power can lead to peace. In addition, many works discuss the relative impact of such factors as the entity of the alliance commitments, the tighteness of the clusters (or blocs) in the system, the distribution of the satisfaction for the status quo between the major powers, and so on. What are the main conclusions of this long standing debate? It is hard to find a reliable answer to this question. Some studies tend to confirm the thesis of the bipolar stability, while other works do assert the greater stability of the multipolar power system. Some works argue that the unipolar system is highly unstable – while others say it to be the most stable. Some scholars claim that the tripolar system is the best configuration possible (in that it adds the virtues of small group systems to the presence of a balancer). For others, tripolarity do of course lead to war. The aim of this paper, needless to say, is not to solve this complicated matter. At least, we hope to summarize the theses, and clarify the arguments, of some important works involved in the debate over the stability-polarity link.