alliance persistence requires domestic political support that international relations theories overlook

Evidence

The role of domestic political factors in alliance behavior has historically been neglected and only recently has generated significant attention. As noted, alliances are costly commitments. Neorealist theories do a good job of outlining when and why states pay those costs; institutionalist theories explain why states continue to pay them. What neither adequately addresses, however, is that these costs must have domestic support. Neorealism, with its state-level assumptions and predictions, assumes leaders will act to meet threats. It does not address the internal prerequisites for such action. Likewise, institutionalist theories do not consider the impact of domestic coalitions and factions on the freedom of state leaders to pursue international policies. Unless one assumes autonomous leaders, this is an unwarranted premise. The French withdrawal from NATO’s military structure as well as the conditions Spain attached to its entry into NATO grew out of domestic political concerns. — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 139

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in how institutional identity (NATO) survives its founding rationale — domestic politics is offered as the mechanism that keeps costs acceptable, echoed by the reader’s NATO reading purpose. — connects to: An institutionalist view holds alliances survive only while states value their benefits. — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 133; Both realism and institutionalism ignore the domestic prerequisites of alliance costs — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 139; Domestic political costs constrain alliance participation once the founding threat recedes — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 143 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Both realism and institutionalism ignore the domestic prerequisites of alliance costs #corroborates (0.93) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 139
• Explaining alliance persistence requires nonrealist unit-level theory. #corroborates (0.90) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 16
• Domestic political costs constrain alliance participation once the founding threat recedes #expands (0.88) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 143
• Alliance commitments generate durable domestic constituencies that resist their abandonment. #exemplifies (0.87) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 142
• Alliance theory has neglected why alliances persist and what happens when they become obsolete #corroborates (0.85) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 31
• Realism explains alliance behavior under threat but fails without one. #corroborates (0.80) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 157
• Alliance theory predicts collapse once threats vanish. #contradicts (0.72) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 14