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Question

What are the objectives of military alliances? Give an example of a functioning military alliance with its specific objectives.

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Solution

The main objectives behind forming military alliances are:
a. Basically, an alliance is a coalition of states to coordinate actions of the states in order to defend or deter an attack.
b. A country may enter into alliance or re-alliance depending on its national security interests.
c. Alliances are formed to enhance one’s own capabilities against another state or states.
d. Alliances are based on the notion of collective security, where an attack on one is considered to be an attack on all the members of the alliance.
e. Alliances are the best way to maintain the Balance of Power.
f. Alliances also seek to enhance the power of the big country leading an alliance. For example, the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) alliances helped it to enhance its own power and strength in international politics.

We may give an example of NATO which is a military alliance that was formed during the Cold War to counterweigh the moves of the USSR. Even after the Cold War, the NATO continued and many members of the USSR-led Warsaw Pact became its members.
a. NATO was formed to serve as a deterrent against the Soviet attack. Based on the collective defence system, NATO aimed at providing security to the European nations and also helped them in their economic and military development.
b. NATO, even after the Cold War, remained as an important military alliance comprising 28 members and based on the notion of collective defence.
c. NATO is responsible for holding many military operations after the Cold War. Examples include the NATO involvement in Kosovo, in the Afghanistan war and its intervention in the Libyan Civil War.

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