Alliance formation

Question 1

What will states ask themselves before allying with someone?

Answer 1

What is the threat, how large is it and who will help and how much will they help? Also; how do states respond to threats?

This does, of course, depend on the situation as the US can only offer Ukraine a low level of protection against Russia, but Ukraine still chooses to ally with the US and Europe.

Question 2

According to Walt: What should we consider in order to understand the nature of an alliance?

Answer 2

its origins

Ex: NATO was established to balance against the USSR and the Warsaw pact, therefore we can say that it has a balancing nature.

Question 3

What can impact alliances?

Answer 3

both states inside and outside the alliance.

Ex: Trump being unhappy with NATO

Question 4

During which historical event was the competition for allies important?

Answer 4

The Cold War

Question 5

Which states are more likely to form durable alliances?

Answer 5

States with the same ideologies

Question 6

What does Walt say about ideology as a reason for alignment?

Answer 6

He states that balancing is a stronger motive for alignment than ideology and that ideological alliances are examples of balancing behavior. He also says that states that share the same ideologies are more likely to compete than form durable alliances

Question 7

What did Walt say about the structure of the world system?

Answer 7

It is more stable when it is bipolar

Question 8

What is Walt’s definition of alliances?

Answer 8

Formal or informal agreements between one or more sovereign states for security cooperation.

Question 9

Why are many alliances informal?

Answer 9

States are reluctant to sign formal treaties

Question 10

According to Snidal, alliances and alignments are…

Answer 10

the most central phenomena in international politics

Question 11

Snidal: To align is

Answer 11

to make a coalition with a common interest

Question 12

Snidal: Alliance is

Answer 12

more committed than alignment, even when it is informal

Question 13

Why does George Liska criticize existing alliance theories?

Answer 13

He says that we should not analyze the alliance as a whole but rather the particular nature. Ex: the collective good theory as a way to justify the existence of NATO

Question 14

Definition of an alliance by Arnold Wolfers used by Snidal:

Answer 14

a promise of mutual military assistance between two or more sovereign states

Question 15

What role does military collaboration play in alliances?

Answer 15

Alliances will usually always involve military collaboration even though it is not alway explicit or obvious.

Question 16

How will policymakers of smaller states think before aligning?

Answer 16

what specific function are they expecting the alignment to provide, and to what extent will they be defended.

Question 17

Why will a multipolar world lack trust according to realists?

Answer 17

States can’t trust the support of other states due to ambiguous interests

Question 18

Why are alignments more dynamic than alliances?

Answer 18

They are impacted by the context and circumstances and will therefore often change as the objective is not as clear as in alliances.

Question 19

Can both alliances and alignments have a balancing or bandwagoning nature?

Answer 19

Yes. If we ally against it is balancing, if we ally with it is band wagoning.