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ealists theorise a state that is more responsive to domestic imperatives and thusmore constrained by them. 163The aspects of the neoclassical realism research agenda that are directly relevant tothis thesis are:- The international structure as a decisive factor in the foreign policycalculations of states;- The differential between national power and state power; and,- The nature of unit-level intervening variables, in this case governing parties,individual leaders, and perception.Each of these aspects is now discussed in turn.3.2.1 The systemic dimensionThe primary system characteristics affecting the choice of foreign policy goals andmeans include: system polarity, the distribution of power in the system; and, therules of the game. 164 The systemic dimension of international life is highly relevantto intermediate states. Intermediate states gain their identity from their positionrelative to other states. They are either stronger than the weaker states, or weakerthan their more powerful counterparts. At the same time, the relative distribution ofpower in the system affects foreign policy decisions because a change in relativedistribution might necessitate a responsive action by an intermediate state, eitherwithin its own region, or extra-regionally. The balance of power dynamic frames theperceptions and decisions of decision-makers at the unit level. This dynamicemploys two central assumptions: 1) Anarchy – or the lack of any central decidingpower - as a constraint on states’ behaviour; and, 2) The relative distribution ofpower among states.163 See as an indicative account Jonathan D. Caverley, “Power and DemocraticWeakness: Neoconservatism and Neoclassical Realism”, Millennium, 38, No.3 (2010).164 Valerie Hudson, Foreign Policy Analysis: Classic and Contemporary Theory(Plymouth: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2007): 27.87