Social Science of War

Optimists argue that alliances are a source of strength for American foreign policy, lending significant advantage over competitors like China. Skeptics argue that the United States overpays and overextends itself in its alliances, and should instead take on fewer commitments and encourage its allies to bear more of the burden. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of a more coercive approach to US alliances? What are best practices for US alliance management? How do these dynamics play out in the Indo-Pacific—a region of increasing importance to contemporary US foreign policy? To explore these questions, Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined on this episode by Dr. Brian Blankenship, whose book The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics forms the basis of the discussion, along with Dr. Nathan Finney and Mr. Chuck Casey, both of whom bring extensive professional experience in the Indo-Pacific region to the conversation.