A new balance of power?
Sir: Mr Szamuely's faith in the balance of power (14 February) is impressive. It cer- tainly sounds a simple calculation. 'Any one state was to be prevented from becoming strong enough to impose its will upon others."The essence of the balance of power concept, and the reason for its success, has been its totally non-ideological nature.' 'Every elementary rule of power politics should indicate a rapproche- ment, even an entente between the us and enemy number two, that is China, against enemy number one, the USSR,' which is 'nearly as strong as the us itself.' Such a policy would `open up new possibilities for the West.' It would indeed. Could Mr Szamuely be per- suaded to discuss them in more detail—and, in particular, to consult his slide-rule as to what every elementary rule of (non-ideological) power politics would then indicate as the appropriate policy for (1) the (non-American) 'West' and (2) the USSR?
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