Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Military alliances represent one of the most important forms of cooperation in the international system. Because of anarchy and self-help, states essentially have two paths to augmenting their security: arming themselves, or forming alliances ( Waltz 1979 ). Hence, forging an alliance with another state or set of states is premier among strategies in a state's arsenal to advance its policy agenda. Accordingly, military alliances are central to the field of international relations, and their study has attracted an enormous amount of scholarly attention. The role of alliances in shaping the system and war predates the state system. For example, prior to the Peloponnesian Wars, Athens and Sparta were allies, united in repelling a series of Persian invasions against the Greek states. Once the Persians were defeated in 479 bce , the coalition of over 30 Greek city states unraveled. According to Thucydides’ (431 bce ) account, the alliance network that was created in the decades following the defeat of the Persians was instrumental in bringing about the Peloponnesian Wars. The alliance politics alone make Thucydides’ description of the wars worth reading. The relationship between alliances and war is foundational to the field of international relations, and has enduring consequences, from ancient Greece to the present day. Military alliances take many forms. There is variation in the ... log in or subscribe to read full text