Posted on Sep 6, 2023
How would you articulate the difference between allies and partners?
Suspended Profile
2.03K
9
6
In 2016 I was speaking to a group of freshly minted Captains attending their Captain's Career Course. A Captain asked me to explain the difference between Allies and Partners. "Partners only get lines in a speech; Allies get real commitment and love," was my response. I heard that somewhere else but I claimed it as my own.
Fast forward to this past Labor Day weekend. I was asked if Ukraine was a U.S. Partner or a U.S. Allie. This question exposed logical arguments that debunked the explanation I gave to those Captains. Although Ukraine is treated as a NATO ally in all but name, Ukraine is nonetheless still a strategic partner. So that was my response, but I added that "the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership lacks both strategy and partnership."
How on or off track is this?
Fast forward to this past Labor Day weekend. I was asked if Ukraine was a U.S. Partner or a U.S. Allie. This question exposed logical arguments that debunked the explanation I gave to those Captains. Although Ukraine is treated as a NATO ally in all but name, Ukraine is nonetheless still a strategic partner. So that was my response, but I added that "the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership lacks both strategy and partnership."
How on or off track is this?
Posted in these groups: Strategic Studies
Ukraine
Ukraine
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
First, you have to define the question, because it's like arguing if the United States is a"Democracy" or a "Republic" because the answer is 'yes' to either depending at which level you're asking about or in which context (Type of political system? Implementation of a social-political system? Form of governance?)
Historically that view from an international relations view depended on the formality of the relationship, but in the past years the terms have run together or used together (it always seems that our State Department talks about "Allies and Partners" instead of one of the other).
From DoD's view, allies are countries with which we have formal, long-term relationships built on shared values and common forward momentum. Partnerships usually focus on something mutually beneficial during a specific amount of time or for specific circumstances. In this context, our relationship with Ukraine is a partnership.
Historically that view from an international relations view depended on the formality of the relationship, but in the past years the terms have run together or used together (it always seems that our State Department talks about "Allies and Partners" instead of one of the other).
From DoD's view, allies are countries with which we have formal, long-term relationships built on shared values and common forward momentum. Partnerships usually focus on something mutually beneficial during a specific amount of time or for specific circumstances. In this context, our relationship with Ukraine is a partnership.
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google