ABSTRACT
Dialectical analysis illustrates the complex interrelationships between what might otherwise
appear as disparate phenomena. The classical European balance of power system and imperial-
ism were closely inter-related and ultimately different aspects of the same phenomenon. The
doctrine of collective security emerged out of the critique of the practices of the balance of
power. The stability of the Cold War and the emergence of people’s wars were similarly
inter-related. By making a holistic analysis and assuming the constancy of change, the first
two elements of a dialectical approach identified at the beginning of this article, we can better
appreciate both the continuity and interdependence of events, ideas, and institutional
developments.
