Alliance Type, Institutional Structure and Alliance Durability

　　Abstract: Current research on alliance design and alliance durability fails to adequately explain the relationship between the two. The cost and benefit considerations of states are clearly reflected at each key point throughout the course of forming, managing, maintaining and abandoning alliances, and are manifest in three ways: cost-benefits calculations; cost-benefit distribution; and efforts to reduce costs-Existing research tends only to focus on cost-benefit calculations, and largely ignores the other two elements. Approaching this question through the lens of two structural types of alliances: deterrence based and assistance based alliances, this article argues that durability of alliances stems from two sources: the object of the deterrence and the ally assisted. The effect of alliance structures is manifested in two ways: by generating sophisticated institutional structures, states ensure allies face high defection costs; through sending high cost signals, states deter competitors from engaging in threating behavior. Through empirical research and case analysis, it is identified that while states establish higher quality alliance structures as a means of enhancing durability of their alliances, as states bear the costs and benefits of alliances differently, and as they adopt different means of reducing costs, the impact that alliance structure has on alliance durability is complex and largely conditional on other factors. 

　　About the Author: Dong Zuozhuang is a MA Student in the Department of International Relations of Nankai University