ABSTRACT
Why is this so? Because alliances are one of the most valuable instruments for advancing a state’s interests. In particular, alliances are a primary tool for enhancing a state’s security in the face of external and sometimes internal threats. Focusing on the international realm, Kenneth Waltz (1979: 118) has noted that the means available to states for achieving their ends fall into just two categories: internal efforts and external efforts, including moves to strengthen and enlarge one’s own alliance or to weaken and strengthen an opposing one. And for smaller states with limited resources, reliance on alliances may be the only option. Thus the formation and use of alliances is a frequent response to the dangers of aggression and the opportunities for aggrandizement present in the international system.
