The leverage a small party in the legislature possesses, in being able to give, or hold back, voting support to a large, albeit still minority party, to allow it to have a majority on a vote.

difference in economic and military strengths of nations.

The distribution of power in a system such that no one state may overwhelm others.

The theory that military conflict can be avoided if both sides have roughly equivalent military power.

 A political situation in which power is shared (“balanced”) between different branches of government.

  a condition in which the distribution of military and political forces among nations means no one state is sufficiently strong to dominate all the others.  It may be global, regional or local in scope

Balance of power refers to the counterbalance of power between nations. It is the distribution of power in which no single nation is able to dominate or interfere with.

A strategic term wherein all strengths and weaknesses equal out between opposing players, regardless of narrow independent vantage points. While the term typically applies to military/national strateg [..]

*date=October 23, 2011 |author=Phil McNulty |title=Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City |work=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15325536.stm |page= |passage=United's stature is such that o [..]

(politics,government) A situation of equilibrium in which no country is powerful enough to control, or threaten the interests of, the others.