Multipolarity[edit]
Multipolarity is a distribution of power in which more than two states have similar amounts of power. The
Concert of Europe, a period from after the
Napoleonic Wars to the
Crimean War, was an example of peaceful multipolarity (the great powers of Europe assembled regularly to discuss international and domestic issues),
[32] as was the
Interwar period.
[33] Examples of wartime multipolarity include
World War I,
[34] World War II,
[35] the
Thirty Years War,
[36] the
Warring States period,
[37] the
Three Kingdoms period and the tripartite division between
Song dynasty/
Liao dynasty/
Jin dynasty/
Yuan dynasty.
Impact on conflict and cooperation[edit]

Empires of the world in 1905, with minor mistakes.
Classical realist theorists, such as
Hans Morgenthau and
E. H. Carr, hold that multipolar systems are more stable than bipolar systems, as great powers can gain power through alliances and petty wars that do not directly challenge other powers; in bipolar systems, classical realists argue, this is not possible.
Neorealists hold that multipolar systems are particularly unstable and conflict-prone, as there is greater complexity in managing alliance systems, and a greater chance of misjudging the intentions of other states.
[38] Thomas Christensen and
Jack Snyder argue that multipolarity tends towards instability and conflict escalation due to "chain-ganging" (allies get drawn into unwise wars provoked by alliance partners) and "buck-passing" (states which do not experience an immediate proximate threat do not balance against the threatening power in the hope that others carry the cost of balancing against the threat).
[39]
Multipolarity does not guarantee
multilateralism and can pose a challenge against multilateralism.
[40][41] According to
Kemal DerviÅŸ, a decline in unipolarity creates a crisis in multilateralism; it is possible to revive multilateralism in a multipolar system, but this is more threatened and the structure to do so is not fully developed.
[40] In multipolarity, larger powers can negotiate "mega-regional" agreements more easily than smaller ones. When there are multiple competing great powers, this can lead to the smaller states being left out of such agreements.
[41] Though multipolar orders form regional hegemonies around 'poles' or great powers, this can weaken economic interdependencies within regions, at least in regions without a great power.
[42] Additionally, as multipolar systems can tend to regional hegemonies or bounded orders, agreements are formed within these bounded orders rather than globally. Though, Mearsheimer predicts the persistence of a thin international order within multipolarity, which constitutes some multilateral agreements.
[43]