Alliances And Small Powers

The book focuses on the relations between small states and alliances. It is on why, how and under what conditions states engage in alliances. What are the benefits and costs of alliances? How are the benefits and costs of alliances allocated among their members? What determines who allies with whom? Can small states still pursue their own security interests within an alliance? Can they even become integral part of an alliance? Scholars, practitioners, policy-makers and advisors from several countries discuss these issues. They address historical, empirical and theoretical topics and give policy recommendations.

Essay on the theoretical aspects of international relations, with particular reference to the dynamics of alliances and treatys between developed countries and developing countries - covers political aspects and economic implications, and the influence thereof on foreign policy, diplomacy and the balance of power. References.

This work defines weak states and their strengths and weaknesses. It examines why they are weak and their position in different international systems as well as their economic positions.

Reiter addresses a striking empirical puzzle: Why, in this century, have some small powers chosen to enter alliances when faced with international instability whereas others have stayed neutral? Specifically, why did Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway join NATO, while Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland did not? Employing quantitative and case study methods, Reiter finds that peacetime decisions about alliance and neutrality stem from states' experiences during world wars. Tested against balance-of-threat theory, the leading realist explanation of alliance behavior, Reiter's formative-events model of learning emerges as a far better predictor of states' decisions. Crucible of Beliefs' findings show that, contrary to balance-of-threat theory, state leaders ignore the level of international threat and focus instead on avoiding past mistakes and repeating past successes. A serious blow to realism, these findings demonstrate that to understand the dynamics of world politics, it is essential to know how leaders learn from history.