Back to Glossary

Unipolarity

A polarity condition in which a single dominant great power shapes the international system — the United States in the decade or so following the Soviet collapse is the standard example. Contrasted with bipolarity (two great powers, as in the Cold War) and multipolarity (three or more), with Kenneth Waltz arguing polarity shapes how likely miscalculation, and therefore war, is within a given system.

Learn about this term

Related Terms

Vocabulary from all courses. Terms are cross-referenced to show where each concept appears.