ABSTRACT
Alliance has always been an essential instrument of statecraft, even as relations between allies have been more complex, clamorous, and challenging than should have been expected. Allies can be an invaluable asset, but they can also be a source of trouble. Unity of purpose does not necessarily lead to unity of minds. Frictions within an alliance can open a window of vulnerability to the opponent. Problems stemming from discords between one’s own allies, though, have gone largely unnoticed in alliance theory. The current chapter traces the development of alliance as a key concept in the scholarly work of international relations and seeks to fill in the gap in alliance theory by introducing the concept of the guardian’s dilemma and the policy of dual restraint.
