An Application of Signed Graphs to International Relations

Making foreign policy decisions involved evaluating complex relationships among nations and determining the costs and benefits of each decision alternative. In mathematics, graph theory provides and excellent tool to model international relations. Using signed balanced graphs, the model developed here evaluates the relationships among six countries for the period 1977 to 1982 in terms of their tendency toward alignment or nonalignment. The goal was to create a model which can be used by diplomats to organize and prioritize alternatives for directing a limited number of resources in order to achieve political stability. It is not claimed that this model is predictive in its present form, but it has the potential, with some refinements, to be a useful tool in the formulation of foreign policy. This approach to modeling international relations is not new, but the methods of creating balance are experimental