A system based on patronage works only if the patron accepts certain responsibilities.
The US-Israeli war against Iran is forcing a new look at the nature and limits of alliances in the 21st century.
In the second half of the 20th century, international politics rested on a relatively simple logic. The world was divided into blocs. Strong powers offered protection; weaker states offered loyalty. Security guarantees were exchanged for political alignment. This patron-client system formed the backbone of Cold War geopolitics.
Even after the Cold War ended, the structure largely survived. The ideological clarity faded, but the institutional habits remained.
Instead of rigid blocs confronting one another, the West began speaking of shared values and common interests. The message was straightforward: together we are strong. The evidence was the victories of the previous era. The West had prevailed against its adversaries; therefore the system worked.
Russia’s alliances, by contrast, proved far less durable after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Relationships inherited from the Soviet period survived partly out of inertia and partly because immediate separation was impractical. Economic links and overlapping political interests also played a role, although these weakened as new generations of leaders emerged across the former Soviet space. The language of “strategic partnership” remained, but the substance steadily eroded.
Today, the momentum that sustained the 20th alliance system is running out. In Eurasia this is evident in Russia’s increasingly complex relations with neighboring states. Few relationships now fit neatly into the old Cold War binary of “with us or against us.” Countries are pursuing their own interests with greater independence, adjusting their policies pragmatically depending on circumstances.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
