Abstract

Power exists in nature as well as in human society．Study on power in nature causes rise to modern physics，while study on power in human society(strength and power)gives birth to science of international politics．Study of natural power in physics focuses on three elements，that is，the magnitude，direction，and application point of power．The studies of international politics，however,mainly concern with the capacity and features of power(e.g. political power,economic power,military power,or hard and soft power,etc．)with seldom attention to the direction in which power is applied．Does this mean the application direction of strength or power is not important in international relations.
0f course not．When analyzing actors in internationa1 politics， we usually need to take into consideration their capabilities as well as their intentions since the latter determines how the actors shall utilize their capabilities，that is，the direction in which strength or power is applied．It also determines whether the actors will bring forth cooperation or cause conflicts，whether they would promote stability or weaken it，etc．The“peace oriented power”we discuss in this article relates to the way strength or power is applied．

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