ABSTRACT: Both the concepts of Balance of Power and Complex Interdependence attempt to describe the post-cold war international system. We select Offensive Realism (re: Mearsheimer) and Neoliberal Institutionalism (re: Keohane and Nye), for theoretically contextualising the aforementioned concepts. Through a critical evaluation in contrast with the realities of the current international system we answer the question of which of these two concepts could be identified as the most relevant. Our conclusions suggest that ‘complex interdependence’ provides the necessary and at the same time broader framework for analysing the states and their relations after the Cold War, within which recent developments are better explained.
KEYWORDS: Balance of Power, Complex Interdependence, Offensive Realism, Neoliberal Institutionalism