Who is americas allies

Expert analysis on the issues that shaped the election. Americans have frequently been told that allies matter, but what exactly does it mean to be a U. And why are relationships deemed so vital to American security frequently so contentious? The result was the decision to establish a set of formal treaty alliances that would create a collective defensive effort to contain Communist expansionism.

The U. The theory behind establishing the U. And it has. While abandoning the Kurds in Northern Syria raises moral and strategic questions, there is no formal alliance relationship with them. Similarly, what makes Ukraine different from a country like Poland or Estonia is that while it has long received American support, the U. The core feature of U. Similarly, the Nixon administration urged Asian allies to play a larger role in their own defense as early as the late s.

Allied defense budgets have waxed and waned—as have U. It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. Even in a polarized era, the survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions. Pew Research Center now uses as the last birth year for Millennials in our work. President Michael Dimock explains why. The vast majority of U.

Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.

Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Newsletters Donate My Account. Research Topics. Global Image. Trump, who repeatedly condemned alliance partners from Germany to South Korea for taking advantage of the United States by not spending enough on their defense.

Shields of the Republic begins by assessing the two main critiques of alliances that have emerged from political science research. The first is that alliances entangle the United States in foreign wars. The logic here is simple: Once you extend a security guarantee, the ally feels emboldened, knowing that America has its back.

Should they stay in Afghanistan despite a peace process they are not party to? Should they join a coalition to push back against Iran when the previous Democratic president advocated Gulf Arab states share the region with Tehran? The truth of that assumption is no longer self-evident. Observers have wondered aloud about how much of the past four years have been about Trump and how much about America.

Is the Trumpian cramped worldview—one that defines interests narrowly and deals with partners transactionally—the outlier, or is it the new normal from which long-experienced Biden—with his traditionally enlightened foreign-policy approach—is the last departure? And with presidential terms at eight years at best, can allies risk siding with U. Consider, for example, the roller coaster of Iran sanctions that U.

European allies have ridden on. Before and during nuclear negotiations, the message from Washington was European governments and companies should cease most business ties with Iran.

Enter Trump, who reimposed sanctions and implored Europeans—so recently told to facilitate trade with Iran—to cease and desist. Now, with the likelihood of U. But the roller coaster is not yet back in the station; if there is a Republican president who, in less than four years, wishes to sanction Iran, European allies will be in the front car for a return trip.

Messy relationships are nothing new in foreign policy, of course, and no alliance is ever free from complications. Setting a new tone, as Biden is doing now, helps manage them.

The key is to make sure potentially divisive policies do not overwhelm unifying rhetoric and sentiment. George Shultz, former U.