Military Alliances in the 21st century

Military alliances have played a central role in international relations throughout history, but their natures have experienced significant changes over time. Brett Ashley Leeds and Michaela Mattes (2007), for example, identify some distinct dynamics of alliance politics during the U.S.- Soviet Cold War, and Glenn Snyder (1997) also discussed the differences between alliance politics under multipolarity and bipolarity. In the wake of 9/11 terror attacks against the United States, Washington’s reliance on the coalition of the willing and its unilateral tendency led some to believe that military alliances were in decline, but the return of major power competition in recent years—and ironically, U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-alliance rhetoric—has brought back attention to the importance of military alliances. If the past is any indication, military alliances will continue to shape international security and broader international relations. I am interested in all aspects of military alliances, for example the question of how similar or different current military alliances are to alliances of the past, and what explains the similarities and differences. With the Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s location near the headquarters of NATO, research on the Atlantic alliance will naturally benefit from the researcher’s time at VUB, but I welcome research on any military alliances.

Click here to apply