On Great Power Conflict: Entangled or Untangled Alliances An Interview with Charles A. Kupchan
Abstract
Historically, alliances have tended to be tools of warfare more than they have been tools of deterrence. In that sense, the Cold War may have been a bit of an outlier because war never occurred between NATO and the Warsaw Pact - most likely because of the presence of nuclear weapons. The alliances that formed when Sparta faced off with Athens, the Quadruple Alliance that opposed Napoleon, the Triple Entente in WWI - they were all associated with war. We could likely find other alliances that were not associated with war, but I suspect these would be the exception and not the rule. NATO is an anomaly in another respect: it is still here almost three decades after the end of the Cold War. Most alliances disappear when the threat that brought them into being disappears. But that has not happened with NATO. Because it has been very good at adapting to geopolitical circumstances - such as going out of area, dealing with unconventional threats, and building global partnerships - NATO has been the exception and not the rule.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 1019
- Accession Number
- AD1116303
Entities
People
- Charles A. Kupchan
Organizations
- Georgetown University