An alliance persists when its founding enemy vanishes.

Evidence

A closer look, however, shows that beneath its disputes, NATO remains robust and healthy. Member states have cut military spending and troop commitments but, with what have turned out to be a few minor exceptions, only in the context of overall alliance agreements and negotiations. Despite initial concerns, the “renationalization” of member states’ foreign and military policies (making policy decisions on a strictly national basis) has not progressed very far and the integrated command structure, under American command, remains without serious challenge. Even France has toned down its historical opposition to 35. — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 57

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reading purpose: NATO’s persistence after its founding enemy (the Soviet Union) disappeared — this is exactly the phenomenon in question. — connects to: Alliance theory has neglected why alliances persist and what happens when they become obsolete — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 31; Alliance cohesion rises and falls with the external threat it balances — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 36; Costly alliances should dissolve when the threat justifying their costs disappears. — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 41 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• Alliances can persist and expand purposes after their founding enemy disappears #corroborates (0.95) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 60
• Alliance theory predicts collapse once threats vanish. #responds-to (0.90) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 14
• Alliances may persist through habit and precaution after threats recede #expands (0.85) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 61
• Alliances with developed organizations survive threats long after they vanish #expands (0.85) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 153
• Cross-civilizational alliances persist from inertia and balance-of-power need #expands (0.85)
• Domestic political costs constrain alliance participation once the founding threat recedes #qualifies (0.78) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 143
• A shared external enemy can suspend internal conflicts among rival groups. #qualifies (0.78) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 690
• A shared enemy cannot hold alliance partners whose ambitions conflict #complicates (0.75) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 881
• Realism explains alliance behavior under threat but fails without one. #complicates (0.75) — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 157
• Cooperation sustained by despotism dissolves when the despotism ends #exemplifies (0.75) — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 1655
• A protected outsider group dissolves when the protecting state decays #exemplifies (0.72) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 294