ABSTRACT
This chapter takes an older concept, that of balancing, and place it within a new framework of commitment problems and informational asymmetries. It argues that commitment problems are a necessary, but not sufficient, cause of all balancing. The chapter examines the concept and definition of balancing. It also examines the role that commitment and informational problems play in balancing behavior. The chapter outlines the basic structure of the game-theoretic model used to analyze the role that commitment problems play in balancing behavior. It examines the implications of this model under complete information, and introduces informational asymmetries. The chapter discusses the implications of our model for balancing behavior. Commitment problems are in fact an important rational explanation of conflict in the international system. Fearon demonstrates that commitment problems, along with private information and problems of indivisibility, are one of the few empirically significant rational causes of war.
