Naive or Cynical (or Both)? U. S. Alliance Strategies and Authoritarian Counterparts

Laurence Whitehead ； Desmond King

《Taiwan Journal of Democracy》 14卷1期 (2018/07) Pp. 141-162

摘要

Existing models of ＂authoritarian cooperation and diffusion＂ rely on an implicit comparison between these and the alliance strategies of the leading Western democracies, in particular, the United States. But post-Cold War U. S. alliance strategies call into question the starkness of that binary contrast. The United States has constructed multiple forms of alliance with diverse and contrasting regime types. It has tended either to exercise global hegemonic authority through ＂liberal internationalism＂; to build ＂alliances of the willing＂; or to assert national primacy. Historically, there have been sharp shifts in emphasis over time, partly driven by international developments, but also often by domestic factors. This essay uses a comparative American Political Development (APD) approach to highlight how, in a context of a high degree of discretion, an unstable mix of national beliefs and values entangled with rival domestic interests and political ambitions compete to set external alliance strategies. It also distinguishes between some recent and contingent impediments to effective U. S. international leadership and other more durable setbacks to Washington's capacity for alliance-maintenance and rebuilding.

關鍵字

Democratic backsliding ； discretion ； exceptionalism ； hegemony ； idealism ； realism

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