Alliance

An alliance, also known as an alliance or pact, is usually a contractually regulated association of not necessarily formally equal partners to achieve a certain common goal. Alliances can be entered into by natural persons, legal entities or states among themselves.

Alliances between states are characterised by their common foreign policy objective, by their organisation, by their period of validity and by their geographical destination. The relationship of the member states to the alliance is an inter-state relationship and therefore has a character under international law. There are no general rules in international treaty law for the structure of an alliance. Each alliance of states is free to formulate its own treaty or statute of alliance. An alliance statute is the most important source of law for the alliance. It codifies in law the union of states and the nature of their union. By signing and ratifying it, which is usually required, the members of the alliance commit themselves with legal effect. Unlike a confederation of states, the organisation of an alliance has no independent authority to act.

Insofar as alliance obligations affect the tasks of state organs, the fundamental rights of citizens or fundamental aspects of state life, they must comply with the respective constitutional law of the member states. They must not contradict constitutional and statutory provisions. In order to achieve consistency, the constitution and laws may also be adapted to covenant obligations.

Military alliances are concluded primarily with the aim of guaranteeing their members independence and security from belligerent attacks by military means. Due to the general prohibition of the use of force, military alliances are only permissible as defensive alliances under international law. Articles 51 to 54 of the UN Charter provide the framework under international law for the establishment of bilateral and multilateral (regional) military alliances. The UN Security Council can use them as executive organs of the UN.

Within international law, alliances play a central role, because states regulate their legal relationships with each other by means of treaty-based alliance policies. A historical example is the protection and defence alliances of 1866.

Civil society alliances exist within the peace movement in the form of peace alliances. In economic life, protective alliances play a role. Examples of parliamentary alliances are Bündnis 90 and Grünes Bündnis (Basel).


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