Triggering a balance of power

Abstract: In 1998 Richard Rosecrace wrote that there was no attempts to balance against the growing power of the European Union. Today the statement by Rosecrance has been falsified by a balancing behaviour by the Russian Federation and CIS member states. In this thesis I search for the trigger to this change in behaviour. The thesis builds a theoretical framework based on neorealist theory and balance of power theory through which types of actions that can cause balancing behaviour to occur is identified. Typically these actions must generate a perception of threat to trigger balancing behaviour. This set of hypothetical actions is thereafter matched with events from 2005 to 2015. The thesis conclude that there is a balancing behaviour against the EU and that it is led by Russia. A combination of actions from the side of EU; expansion, Common Defence and Security Policy and deployment of military to the Russian-Georgian border is thought to have triggerd the balancing behaviour.