ABSTRACT
One kind of interpretation of international politics might be quite sympathetic to imperial rule or hegemonic power, seeing this as the ultimate guarantor for peace. A system of imperial hegemony achieved peace by eliminating and absorbing all rival powers. But a system of balance of power tended to reinforce peace in a very different way. The growing world attachment to peace is hardly to be regretted, for peace is much preferable to war. The system of empire and the balance of power system might thus produce peace, but only as a by-product, as the real drivers were the desire of someone to be an emperor, or the desires of kings to remain kings, and to head off others becoming emperor. To re-insure peace in the future, one sometimes has to choose war over peace more immediately.
