THE POWER OF STATES AS THE BASIS FOR PROMOTING NATIONAL INTERESTS IN THE SYSTEM OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Abstract

The exercise of national power by each state is an accepted reality of international relations. Its individual power and distribution is one of the major determinants of a state'sbehaviour in international relations. However, the unlimited use of power by states can be a source of war, anarchy and chaos in international relations. State power, its estimates and measurement tools have always been a matter of interest to political and military leaders, who needed fairly objective parameters to make decisions with fundamental implications for the evolution and behaviour of states in the system of international relations. These issues of state power are the focus of this article.Keywords: power, elements of power, determinants of power, national interests, international relations, quantification of state power.