Class 9- International Institutions

Question 1

Alliances

Answer 1

Institutions that help their members cooperate militarily in the event of a war.
- Specify standards of behavior under certain circumstances
- May include provisions for monitoring and verifying compliance
- May include procedures for joint decision making
- Codify bargains to settle distributional issues

Question 2

2 Forms of Alliances

Answer 2

Offensive: states pledge to join one another in attacking a third state.

Defensive: states pledge to defend each other against attack, sometimes in any form, sometimes by a particular aggressor.

Question 3

The US currently has defensive alliances with:

Answer 3

South Korea
Japan
Through NATO, Canada and many states in western and
central Europe

Question 4

Why form alliances?

Answer 4

Alignment of interests between at least two states

1. Balance of power- States join together to counter a state that is becoming too powerful (i.e. Germany in the 30’s and 40’s)
   - Alliances form when 2+ states need to combine capabilities to match capabilities of another state and counter threat
   - 1884 alliance between France and Russia facing Germany’s rising power
2. Bandwagoning- a strategy in which states join forces with the stronger side in a conflict
   - Often offensive
   - Soviet Union allied with stronger Nazi Germany against Poland

Question 5

Balance of Power Alliance

Answer 5

1. Balance of power- States join together to counter a state that is becoming too powerful (i.e. Germany in the 30’s and 40’s)
   - Alliances form when 2+ states need to combine capabilities to match capabilities of another state and counter threat
   - 1884 alliance between France and Russia facing Germany’s rising power

Question 6

Bandwagoning Alliance

Answer 6

2. Bandwagoning- a strategy in which states join forces with the stronger side in a conflict
   - Often offensive
   - Soviet Union allied with stronger Nazi Germany against Poland

Question 7

Consequences of Alliances

Answer 7

Pros:
1. Improves the bargaining position of the allied countries
2. Can decrease the chance of war by deterring aggression

Cons:
1. More actors involved increases the chances and consequences of uncertainty
- Local crisis between Austria and Russia over Serbia spiraled into war that consumed most of Europe
- Alliances are institutions, not perfectly binding contracts

Question 8

When Alliances Work Well

Answer 8

To credibly signal, alliances must:

1. Make it more likely that allies will fight on one another’s behalf than they would in the absence of an alliance
2. Must make adversaries believe that allies will in fact fight together

Joint planning, public announcements, marriage, etc
States have honored their commitment to go to war for an alliance 75% of the time

Question 9

Why Aren’t Alliance Commitments Ironclad?

Answer 9

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