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Bandwagoning State

In international relations, bandwagoning takes place when one state or a group of states ally with a more powerful state or group of states. Bandwagoning can happen when a state seeks to join an alliance as well as when a state relies on a more powerful partner within an existing alliance for its security. This entry provides an overview of three possible forms of bandwagoning and concludes with a discussion of the possible ways to further the study of bandwagoning.

Bandwagoning as Giving In to Threats

Kenneth Waltz, a key neorealist thinker, made a distinction between balancing and bandwagoning. Both balancing and bandwagoning share the same goal: to achieve security in a situation of potential or ongoing conflict. Balancing occurs when a state or a group of ...

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