The next chapter of this book elaborates on alliance control theory, explaining the conditions under which the United States is willing and able to persuade its allies to increase their burden-sharing contributions. The chapter concludes with a discussion of alternative explanations and the book’s methodology. The next four chapters present case studies of the United States applying burden-sharing pressure on West Germany, South Korea, and Japan during the 1960s and 1970s, and on Iceland during the 1950s. These chapters draw on declassified government documents and secondary historical texts. The book then concludes with a summary of the findings as well as a discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research.

This article is an excerpt from The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics (Cornell University Press, 2023, pp. 1-6, 9-11) by Brian D. Blankenship, published by Cornell University Press. Copyright (c) 2023 by Brian D. Blankenship. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Brian Blankenship is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Miami. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of international relations, international security, and international cooperation, with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the politics of military alliances.

Image: White House Flickr.