Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher - A Researcher in International Relations and International Business with a Focus on Security and Political Risks & Economic and Strategic Risks Related to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), International Trade and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As)

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Military Alliances Led by USA

Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher

https://www.rozen-bakher.com/alliances/usa-military

Latest Update: 01 August 2024

Monitoring Alliances by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher

Monitoring Military, Political, Economic and Trade Alliances that Have an Impact on Global Order and Geopolitics

Monitoring Alliances by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher https://www.rozen-bakher.com/monitoring-alliances

For the Differences Between Military Defence Treaty versus Military Support Treaty versus Military Cooperation, Please see Section B2. in 2024 Global Survival Rank by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher https://www.rozen-bakher.com/global-survival-rank-zrb/2024

USA's Military Defence Treaties

The USA has a long list of old ‘Mutual Defence Treaties' with other countries, but most of them refer to 'Military Support Treaty' rather than to 'Military Defence Treaty', still, many of these ‘Military Support Treaties’ have become de-facto Inactive ones. More specifically, most of the Mutual Defence Treaties of the USA lack any commitment to defend in the case of an attack in the style of NATO, but only to give Support in the case of attack, while there are Mutual Defence Treaties of the USA that include Consultation in the case of an attack yet without Hard-Definition of Commitment as exist in NATO or in the USA-Japan Military Defence Treaty. Therefore, the focus here is only on the USA's ‘Military Defence Treaties’, rather than on ‘Military Support Treaties’, yet with the distinction between Active ones and Not Active ones, still, it excludes Bilateral Military Defence Treaties that are covered under Multilateral Military Defence Treaties, such as the old Bilateral Military Defence Treaties between the USA and Canada, which has become less relevant under NATO because both USA and Canada are members of NATO.

Active Military Defence Treaties

  • NATO. NATO is a military alliance that was established after WWII led by the USA and it includes mainly countries from Europe under the concept that the USA should protect Europe amid the traumatic past of WWII, still, NATO includes Germany, while not Russia which is considered the main enemy of NATO. NATO has an ‘Open Door Policy’ that decreases the power of NATO because, in the last two decades, too many weaker members joined NATO, while powerful ones stayed outside, so it has weakened NATO instead of empowering the alliance. Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are considered Dialogue Partner of NATO, so they may also join NATO under the ‘Open Door Policy’. In spite of the Russia-Ukraine War due to Ukraine's wish to join NATO, Ukraine has a big obstacle to joining NATO, because unlikely that all NATO countries will ratify the joining of Ukraine to NATO, still, NATO is involved indirectly in the war between Russia and Ukraine by providing military aid and military assistant, regardless of the civilian aid and civilian assistant.

  • USA–Japan Military Defence Treaty. This treaty was signed in 1960 as ‘One Direction’ of a Military Defence Treaty namely, the USA has the commitment to defend Japan in the case of attack, while Japan in return allows the USA troops to be stationed on Japanese soil. However, Japan has no commitment to protect the USA in the case of an attack against the soil of USA. Besides, the USA should consult the Japanese government in the case of a significant change in the size of the USA Force in Japan. The Defence of Japan by the USA includes also a ‘Nuclear Umbrella’ that covers all Japanese islands.

Not Active Military Defence Treaties

  • Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Pact). The Military Defence Treaty, Rio Pact, was signed in 1947 and currently covers the USA and 17 countries from the Latin-America, but the treaty over the years has become de-facto as a Not Active Treaty namely, there are no Yearly Summits, No Joint-Drills, the Alliance has No Active Headquarter, and importantly, over the years, many members have distanced themselves from the treaty, so if for example will erupt a war between the USA and Russia, then unlikely that Brazil and Venezuela will be involved in a war against Russia to protect the USA, despite that Brazil and Venezuela are formally members of the Rio Pact.

  • ANZUS alliance. The original alliance was signed in 1951 between the USA, Australia and New Zealand, but does Not Fully Exist today, because New Zealand withdrew from the Treaty, while the USA and Australia made changes in the original treaty. Thereby, the current treaty may be considered as a ‘Military Defence Treaty’ under ‘Soft Definition’, yet it does not include “an automatic obligation on either of the parties to go to war” (Source https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/anzus-and-the-fabric-of-peace-in-the-pacific/). However, if we look at how the Australians see the ANZUS, then it looks like a Military Support Treaty, over a ‘Military Defence Treaty’: “The original agreement between the three nations (USA, Australia and New Zealand) no longer fully exists in practice, but the basic sentiment of the ANZUS alliance is still responsible for a number of current security-related activities between Australia and the United States, including: the annual Australia–US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), intelligence and technology sharing, military exchange programs, and international military training exercises.” (Source: https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/anzus-treaty). Nevertheless, “Australia would have the right to determine whether an ‘armed attack’ had occurred, within the meaning of Articles IV and V, as well as what action to take to ‘meet the common danger’, under Article IV” (Source:  https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/anzus-and-the-fabric-of-peace-in-the-pacific/)

From 2024 Global Survival Rank by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher

2024 Global Survival Rank by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher https://www.rozen-bakher.com/global-survival-rank-zrb/2024

Section E22. Bilateral Military Defence Treaties: China’s Treaties and USA Treaties https://www.rozen-bakher.com/gsr/2024/e/22

E22.2 USA’s Bilateral Military Defence Treaties

  • E22.2.1 USA–Japan Military Defence Treaty (One-Direction)

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