Balance of power and the prospects for peace: the case of the Levant

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, the Levant has seen more political violence than any other region in the world. This thesis argues that the root cause of this violence is the vast imbalance of power between Israel and its neighbors. Such an imbalance naturally leads to the more powerful country - in this case, Israel - to resort to force in pursuing Israeli interests. Similary, the imbalance of power acts as a constant reminder of humiliation for the less powerful, compelling these actors to seek to right the imbalance through the use of more unconventional warfare. The end result of power imbalance is perpetual conflict. This thesis focuses on the imbalance of power between Israel and Syria as measured through both military and economic might. This imbalance has been expressed in differing forms of violence by both sides.