3- Alliances, Coercion, Diplomacy

Question 1

are asymmetric alliances more stable?

Answer 1

YES

Question 2

are asymmetric alliances more stable?

Answer 2

YES

Question 3

diff btw assymetric & symmetric

Answer 3

in asymmetric- some gain security, some gain autonomy
in symmetric- allies gain on the same dimension

Question 4

chain-ganging

Answer 4

when a state is dragged into war in order to save allies

Question 5

buck-passing

Answer 5

when a state shifts the burden of dealing with a problem onto other states.
- states paying less to nato
- country a doesn’t confront the rising power directly, but oersuades others to take action.

Question 6

theories of alliance formation (3)

Answer 6

1. balance of power
2. balance of threat
3. domestic affinity

Question 7

theories of alliance formation- balance of power

Answer 7

when states are facing another powerful state, they can either ally against it.

Question 8

theories of alliance formation- balance of threat

Answer 8

states form alliances based on perceived level of threat posed by other states.
- We shouldn’t just think about raw power, not all states are threats to each other.
- Just because a state has power doesn’t mean it causes a problem !!!

Question 9

theories of alliance formation- domestic affinity

Answer 9

states form alliances with other states that share political institutions, values, and ideologies
threats & power aren’t the main driving force!

Question 10

what does the longevity of an alliance depend on?

Answer 10

1. changes in threats
2. regime types of member states
3. stability of public preferences
4. continuity of national leadership

Question 11

how does socialization strengthen alliances?

Answer 11

the creation of a sense of community among elites and the publics of member states, can also help to strengthen alliances.
- This can be achieved through regular summits and conferences, formal cooperation between personnel from member governments, and the creation of shared cultural and political institutions.

Question 12

difference between deterrence and compellence

Answer 12

deterrence aims to persuade an opponent to not initiate an action- preserving
compliance aims to persuade an opponent to change its behavior- changing

Question 13

punishment as a coercion strategy example

Answer 13

economic sanctions, military strikes

Question 14

denial as a coercion strategy example

Answer 14

destroying infrastrcuture, disrupting supply chains

Question 15

punishment as a coercion strategy

Answer 15

imposing costs on target to discourage them from taking a particular action

Question 16

denial as coercion strategy

Answer 16

taking actions that make it impossible for the target to succesfully undertake a certain action.

Question 17

what’s the difference between punishment and denial?

Answer 17

punishment is imposing costs to discourage a state
denial is making it impossible for a state to carry out a behavior.

Question 18

soft power

Answer 18

a state’s ability to influence others to do what it wants through persuasion- rather than coercion.

Question 19

how can soft power be achieved?

Answer 19

cultural attraction, political values, foreign policies, and international institutions

Question 20

why do states form alliances? 4

Answer 20

1. to balance out a common threat
2. to increase their relative power
3. to enhance their security by dettering agressors
4. to gain access to their resources/ markets
5. to spread values/ ideology

Question 21

the credibility of a threat is determined by… 5

Answer 21

1. capability
2. perceived willingness
3. perceived benefits
4. past behavior
5. domestic political consideratoins

Question 22

Does a state’s ability to apply coercion against a challenger depend on whether that challenger is another state versus a non-state actor?

Answer 22

coercion is often more difficult to apply to non-state actors due:
- lack of clear target
- potential for unintended consequences
overall, you can’t trust non-state actors because they’re not dependent on the state systems, and have different motives.

Question 23

coercive diplomacy is…

Answer 23

the use of threats & incentives to influence the behaviors of an opponent in negotiations.

Question 24

how can alliances be used as a tool for coercive diplomacy?

Answer 24

1. alliances provide a way for states to signal their commitment. (an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us)
2. alliances can be used to mobilize resources for the purpose of coercion (when you join an alliance you’ll have more coercive leverage)

Question 25

coercive diplomacy & Iran

Answer 25

US and its allies used coercive diplomacy against Iran to persuade it to abandon its nuclear program.

Question 26

which methods of coercive diplomacy did the us use towards iran -3

Answer 26

1. economic sanctions
2. diplomatic isolation
3. military threats

Question 27

how was the iran case a success?

Answer 27

combination of pressure and diplomacy rather than the use of force or the threat of force ONLY.

Question 28

how effective were sanctions in iran?

Answer 28

although sanctions harmed iran’s economy, they didn’t lead to the end of nuclear activities.

Question 29

2 main benefits of alliances

Answer 29

1. deterrence- allies can deter potential adversaries from attacking member-states by increasing the costs of aggression
2. collective action- alliances help states achieve their security goals by coordinating their actions and pooling resources.

Question 30

costs and risks of alliances (4)

Answer 30

1. entrapment
2. moral hazard
3. free riding
4. provoking counter alliaces

Question 31

what’s entrapment as a risk of alliances

Answer 31

alliances can lead to the involvement of states in conflicts they would have avoided otherwise.

Question 32

what’s entrapment as a risk of alliances

Answer 32

alliances can lead to the involvement of states in conflicts they would have avoided otherwise.

Question 33

what’s moral hazard as a risk of alliances

Answer 33

alliances can create a moral hazard in which states take greater risks/ act more aggressively than they would otherwise.

Question 34

what’s free-riding as a risk of alliances

Answer 34

alliances allow some mss to benefit form security provided by the alliance without contributing to it.

Question 35

internalized deterrence

Answer 35

given the existing alliances, target states already know what to expect.

Question 35

internalized deterrence

Answer 35

given the existing alliances, target states already know what to expect.

Question 36

internalized deterrence

Answer 36

given the existing alliances, target states already know what to expect.

Question 37

coercive diplomacy x alliances- alliances provide a way for states to signal their commitment

Answer 37

when states enter into an alliance they make a public commitment to support each other- this sends a message to potential aggressors that the alliance will protect a state if they attack.

-> turkey has a meeting with eu which signals to russia that turkey can support eu and ukraine.

Question 38

coercive diplomacy x alliances- alliances can be used to mobilize resources

Answer 38

alliances allow states to pool their resources- states in an alliance gain access to more military and economic resources. this means all the states in an alliance have more coercive leverage.