.........................hegemon. Other alliances decay fairly quickly. The so-called ‘Grand
Alliance’ between Britain, the former Soviet Union, and the United
States during the Second World War is a good example. It lasted only as
long as Hitler remained a threat to world peace. As soon as Germany
was defeated in 1945, the alliance broke down. Also, a state may bow
out of an alliance if it no longer feels that its partners can fulfil the
terms of the alliance. Finally, leadership and ideological changes among
member states may undermine an alliance.
Liberal internationalists from Immanuel Kant onwards have
argued that alliances are a source of conflict between states. After the
end of the First World War, US President Woodrow Wilson suggested
that alliances drew states into webs of intrigue and rivalry. On the
other hand, realists tend to argue that states form alliances based on
their national interests. A change in the national interest can and
should prompt states to rethink the terms of their alliance membership.
Alliances should be regarded as highly flexible arrangements that can
play an important role in maintaining the balance of power.
It is important to note that alliances are not simply beneficial security
arrangements for ‘peace-loving’ states. They can be used to promote
aggression as well. The alliance between Germany, Italy, and
Japan during the Second World War is a good example. Moreover,
alliances may themselves be provocative instruments of foreign policy.
It may well be the case, for example, that an alliance between two states
is regarded as a hostile act by a third state. Under these circumstances,
an alliance may lead to an arms race. It is for this reason that some
states (such as Sweden and Switzerland) have traditionally pursued a
policy of neutrality and non-alignment in Europe.
See also: balance of power; cold war; collective security; common security;
concert of powers; national interest; North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation; realism; security dilemma
Further reading: Reiter, 1996; Snyder, 1997; Walt, 1997
