Military alliances are a constant feature in international politics, and a better understanding of them can directly impact world affairs. This book examines why alliances endure or collapse. As a distinctive feature, it analyses asymmetric alliances focusing on the junior allies' decision to continue or terminate a military agreement. It deepens our knowledge of alliance cohesion and erosion, investigating the relevance of the weaker side's preferences and behavior in alliance politics. The author examines the literature on alliance persistence and termination and puts forward a theoretical model that helps interpret historical and contemporary cases in a way that is useful for expert researchers and non-expert readers alike.

Deepens our knowledge of alliance cohesion and erosion Examines why alliances endure or collapse Analyzes asymmetric alliances focusing on the junior allies' decision

Autorentext

Andrea Leva received a Ph.D. from Università degli Studi di Milano Statale, Milan (Italy). He is a Policy Officer of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, working on European Affairs.

Inhalt
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Weaker Voice in Asymmetric Alliances.- Chapter 3: The Anglo-Egyptian Alliance in the Early Cold War: a case of alliance termination.- Chapter 4: The Anglo-Iraqi Alliance in the Early Cold War: a case of alliance persistence.- Chapter 5: New Zealand's exit from ANZUS in the mid-1980s: a case of alliance termination.- Chapter 6: The U.S.-Australian relation in the mid-1980s: a case of alliance persistence.- Chapter 7: Conclusions.