Definition
Most international conflicts are not settled by military force. Despite the anarchic nature of the international system based on state sovereignty, the security dilemma does not usually lead to a breakdown in basic cooperation among states. States generally refrain from taking maximum short-term advantage of each other. States work with other states for mutual gain and take advantage of each other only "at the margin". Unfortunately, the day-to-day cooperative actions of states are often less newsworthy than states' use of force. States work together by following rules they develop to govern their interactions. States usually do follow the rules. Over time, the rules have become more firmly established and institutions have grown up around them. States then develop the habit of working through those institutions and within the rules. They do so because of self-interest; great gains can be realized by regulating international interactions through institutions and rules, thereby avoiding the costly outcomes associated with a breakdown of cooperation. International anarcy thus does not mean a lack of order, structure, and rules. In many ways, actors in international society now work together as cooperatively as actors in domestic society. Today, most wars are civil wars, not interstate wars. This reflects the general success of international norms, organizations and laws in maintaining peace among states. International anarchy, then, means that states surrender sovereignty to no one. Domestic society has government with powers of enforcement; international society does not. When the rules are broken in IR, actors can rely only on the power of individual states to restore order.
Bi Polar Nature/Balance of Power Prior & During the Cold War
Cold War: 1945-1991New International Order (Post Cold War)Division of the World (Bi-Polar Regions)
Defining the New World Order