A political alliance is a formal agreement between different entities—typically states or factions—designed to support each other in specific goals. Political alliances can significantly affect the balance of power within regions and influence events like wars, treaties, and territorial expansion.
The practice of political alliances is common at the local level, where parties cooperate to contest elections in electoral blocs. For example, the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong consists of parties that agree to vote against each other in general elections, and to jointly stand for seats in municipal councils and district boards. This helps smaller parties compete against more established parties and gives them a better chance of winning. A similar arrangement is found in the Netherlands, where parties formally enter an electoral alliance—called a lijstverbinding or kartel—to pool their votes and be treated as one larger party when handing out parliamentary seats, thus giving them more chances of success.
At the international level, political alliances are largely defensive in nature, with member states agreeing to work together in case of attack from a hostile outside power. This is often enshrined in a treaty of alliance, which typically includes clauses known as “casus foederis,” or the circumstances under which an ally can be obligated to defend another ally. This is a key feature of the League of Nations, which was formed after World War II to prevent future conflicts by offering collective security. However, the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War have raised questions about whether or not alliances need an enemy to remain cohesive.
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