Modern Military Alliances: The Specifics of Their Formation and the Prospects of Their International Political Impact

This article considers the peculiarities of the functioning of modern military alliances in the Euro-Atlantic space, their role in ensuring international security, as well as the challenges and future prospects associated with their functioning. The overarching goal set by the authors was to conduct a comprehensive study of the major modern military alliances, assessing their effectiveness and broader capacity to influence international politics. A comparative method was used to correlate various aspects of the creation and functioning of modern military alliances and to identify both their shared and unique features. By means of a systematic method, the study examined political, economic, military, social, and cultural aspects affecting the activity of military alliances. Additionally, a prognostic method was applied to project and assess potential future impacts of these military alliances on international politics. The research analyses the key approaches to the interpretation of the concept of a military alliance, and provides an analysis of prominent modern military alliances and initiatives within the Euro-Atlantic space, namely, NATO, PESCO, the Ramstein format, NORDEFCO, FINABEL, and the British–Polish–Ukrainian Trilateral. The assessment of the level of effectiveness of the modern military alliances and initiatives was carried out according to the specified criteria, and highlights the external and internal challenges in the functioning of military alliances. On the basis of comparative studies, it was concluded that NATO is currently the most effective military alliance, while PESCO and NORDEFCO demonstrate a limited level of effectiveness. The main challenges in the functioning of military alliances were identified, including the widespread prevalence of armed conflicts, deficiencies within the modern international security system, violations of the norms of international law, difficulties in making decisions regarding the use of force against the enemy, the hybrid nature of modern military conflicts, as well as the internal disputes between allies, and problems with financing.