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The enduring partnership? The trans-Atlantic community as a natural alliance

Posted on:2011-09-24Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:The Pardee RAND Graduate SchoolCandidate:Ghez, Jeremy JFull Text:PDF
GTID:1466390011471875Subject:Economics
Abstract/Summary:
Can commonalities in political culture and identity drive states closer together in the long run and result in the formation of natural alliances? This dissertation discusses the possibility that states which share a common constructed identity can better coordinate their international agendas. In particular, it applies this natural alliance theory to the trans-Atlantic community and discusses the implications of a common constructed identity for the future of the partnership.;In this dissertation, I develop a taxonomy reflecting these different logics and propose a methodology to identify a natural alliance. I apply this methodology to the trans-Atlantic partnership and find it to be a natural alliance since 1991 at least, in spite of three limitations: (1) The extent to which Eastern European countries are part of this natural alliance is still unclear; (2) It is inaccurate to exclude New Zealand and Australia from this natural alliance, although they do not belong to the trans-Atlantic community; and (3) In addition, apparent societal shifts in Japan and South Korea since 2000 could further challenge the geographic denomination of the trans-Atlantic community in time. These findings suggest that Washington can increase its leverage by distinguishing between various types of alliance opportunities in order to manage an increasingly wide array of international threats. They also suggest that the trans-Atlantic partnership is going global not only because of its missions but also because of its potential international members.;The collapse of the European political system in the first half of the 20th century laid the grounds for an integrative paradigm which not only focused on trade and security cooperation, but also on the construction of a shared trans-Atlantic narrative and identity. This unprecedented integrative paradigm provided the partnership with a historical and intellectual capital that continues to strengthen the alliance's resilience today: A common constructed identity and intellectual software can drive states closer together by providing them with focal points to coordinate their long-term mutual expectations. As a result, natural alliances tend to endure in spite of changes in the international context and distinguish themselves from other partnerships driven by other logics.
Keywords/Search Tags:Natural alliance, Partnership, Trans-atlantic community, Common constructed identity, International
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