lpin stated that control "over or governance of the international system is a function of three factors" (Gilpin 28). These three factors are the distribution of power among political coalitions, the hierarchy of prestige among states, and the set of rights and rules that govern or at least influence interactions among international states.
Control through the distribution of power throughout history has been characterized by either: (1) hegemony or imperialism, in which a single powerful state "dominates the lesser states in the system"; (2) bipolarity, in which "two powerful states control a interactions within and between their respective spheres of influence"; or "a balance of power in which three or more states control one another's actions through diplomatic maneuver, shifting alliances, and open conflict" (Gilpin 29). Robert Keohane (46), however, contended that claims "for the general validity of the theory of hegemonic stability are often exaggerated. The dominance of a single great power may contribute to ord
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