What Is the Enemy of My Enemy? Causes and Consequences of Imbalanced International Relations, 1916-2001

This study explores logical & empirical implications of friendship & enmity in world politics by linking indirect international relations (e.g., "the enemy of my enemy," "the enemy of my friend") to direct relations ("my friend," "my enemy"). The realist paradigm suggests that states ally against common enemies & thus states sharing common enemies should not fight each other. Nor are states expected to ally with enemies of their allies or with allies of their enemies. Employing social network methodology to measure direct & indirect relations, we find that international interactions over the last 186 years exhibit significant relational imbalances: states that share the same enemies and allies are disproportionately likely to be both allies and enemies at the same time. Our explanation of the causes & consequences of relational imbalances for international conflict/cooperation combines ideas from the realist & the liberal paradigms. "Realist" factors such as the presence of strategic rivalry, opportunism & exploitative tendencies, capability parity, & contiguity increase the likelihood of relational imbalances. On the other hand, factors consistent with the liberal paradigm (e.g., joint democracy, economic interdependence, shared IGO membership) tend to reduce relational imbalances. Finally, we find that the likelihood of conflict increases with the presence of relational imbalances. We explore the theoretical & practical implications of these issues. Tables, Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.