The strength of a bloc is often judged on its combined membership, wealth, or military power. However, collective resources alone are not a guarantee of strength or cohesion.
Every member of a bloc has their own interests and domestic political pressures which may conflict with those of the wider group. Arduous decision-making rules, unequal burden-sharing, and doubts over whether membership continues to provide sufficient benefits can further deepen these tensions.
Analysts should therefore examine a bloc’s potential sources of division as closely as the factors that bind it together when assessing its strength as a unified actor. This article covers some of the main vulnerabilities that can weaken cohesion and reduce collective effectiveness.
Diverging National Interests
Bloc members may share broad geopolitical objectives but disagree on more specific issues, such as which threats to prioritise, which policies to adopt, or which partners to support. Conflicting economic interests, domestic politics, and regional security concerns can therefore delay collective action or force compromises that weaken the bloc’s response.
Turkey delayed Sweden’s admission to NATO for almost two years over claims it was not doing enough to restrict the activities of the PKK and other Kurdish groups it considers terrorist organisations. It approved Sweden’s membership only after the Scandinavian country tightened its counterterror laws and expanded cooperation with Turkey. Read more.
Burden-Sharing Disputes
Due to the varied economic status and military power of different bloc members, some may rely on the resources and protection supplied by others while contributing little themselves. This can create resentment among the bloc’s stronger members and reduce their willingness to continue carrying a disproportionate share of the burden.
The United States has repeatedly expressed frustration at carrying a disproportionate share of NATO’s military burden. In 2014, only the United Kingdom and Greece out of the then 29 members met the alliance’s target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defence, prompting successive US administrations to pressure European allies to increase their contributions and threaten to reduce US protection if they failed to do so. Read more.
