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  3. Why NATO Endures
  • Cited by 51
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
June 2012
Print publication year:
2009
Online ISBN:
9780511627002
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511627002
Subjects:
Politics and International Relations, International Relations and International Organisations
Information

Book description

Why NATO Endures examines military alliances and their role in international relations, developing two themes. The first is that the Atlantic Alliance, also known as NATO, has become something very different from virtually all pre-1939 alliances and many contemporary alliances. The members of early alliances frequently feared their allies as much if not more than their enemies, viewing them as temporary accomplices and future rivals. In contrast, NATO members were almost all democracies that encouraged each other to grow stronger. The book's second theme is that NATO, as an alliance of democracies, has developed hidden strengths that have allowed it to endure for roughly 60 years, unlike most other alliances, which often broke apart within a few years. Democracies can and do disagree with one another, but they do not fear each other. They also need the approval of other democracies as they conduct their foreign policies. These traits constitute built-in, self-healing tendencies, which is why NATO endures.

Reviews

'For almost two decades, NATO’s persistence has confounded continual predictions of its timely demise. Now, Wallace Thies tells us why. In this historically informed and theoretically insightful book, he shows why NATO is different from previous international alliances, why an alliance of democracies has resilience, and why NATO is likely to endure. This is one of the most important books on NATO since the end of the Cold War.'

Robert Art - Brandeis University

'Why NATO Endures is a significant contribution to our understanding of not only NATO but also alliances in general. Thies shows how and why the numerous apparent crises have been surmounted through characteristics that make NATO distinctive. I strongly recommend this book.'

Robert Jervis - Columbia University

'NATO analysts of all stripes have at one time or another over the past 60 years proclaimed NATO to be ‘in crisis’ and frequently on its deathbed. The phenomenon continues today, with NATO’s future said to be hanging on the outcome in Afghanistan. In this astute historical study, Wallace Thies dissects the crisis analyses and explains why NATO has not come apart at the seams as the result of any of the declared crises in transatlantic relations. It is not because of persistent threats. It is, according to Thies, because of persistent values associated with liberal democracy and derivative shared interests. His analysis should be read by all who have an interest in or proclivity for predicting the future of this seemingly permanent alliance.'

Stanley R. Sloan - Visiting Scholar, Rohatyn Center for International AffairsMiddlebury College, and author of Permanent Alliance?: NATO and the Transatlantic Bargain from Truman to Obama

'It may be reasonable to ask if there really is more that can be said about NATO which has not already been said. Surprisingly, the answer is yes … a fresh look at the alliance … [questions] traditional analyses … well researched, well written and … offer[s] a wealth of empirical detail.'

Source: International Affairs

'Thies’s argument is persuasive.'

Source: Survival

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