Allies and adversaries: policy insights into strategic defense relationships

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:7152336

Don, B W

This research addresses alliance relationships in an adversarial context, focusing on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its relationship to the Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO or the Warsaw Pact). The underlying themes have application to other alliances such as the Australia-New Zealand-United States agreements (ANZUS) or contemplated security arrangements in the Mid-East. The study determines that there are three prime determinants of the level of defense enjoyed by a nation within an alliance. The most influential factor is the economic well-being of the nation in question, coupled with its tastes and preferences. The next most influential factor is the level of defense effort undertaken by the nation's adversary. The least influential factor is the defense provided by a nation's allies. In exploring the overall framework in which allies and adversaries act, the analysis uncovers evidence that their relations are characterized by a threat-bargain process. In this process, a nation uses military capability to threaten an adversary in the hopes of improving its own bargaining position. Thus, when NATO's priority mechanism, deterrence, is successful in averting war, the confrontation between NATO and the WTO does not end; it merely changes in character.

• Research Organization: Rand Graduate Inst., Santa Monica, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7152336
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990100* -- Management
ADVERSARIES
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATIONAL DEFENSE
NATO
TREATIES