Alliances between nations are more often a matter of economics than of shared ideologies

Alliances between nations are more often a matter of economics than of shared ideologies.
Describe a specific situation in which an alliance between nations might be a matter of shared ideology. Discuss what you think determines when alliances between nations are a matter of economics and when they are a matter of shared ideologies

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Especially in world of increasing globalization, nations need to align themselves with other nations to prosper or maintain their economic standing. Nations need allies for other reasons, as well, such as ensuring the security of their people, protecting themselves from terrorist threats, and working out issues without borders like climate change. Most often, nations align themselves with each other as a matter of economics. While sharing ideologies and values can be important, they are not necessary to establishing relations. For instance, the most important bilateral relationship of this age---the United States and China--exemplifies how nations can form partnerships (mostly economically-based) despite ideological differences.

The United States had spent most of the last half of the 20th century fending off the threat of Communism. Maintaining a "cold" war with the leading Communist nation, the USSR, the US people viewed the Soviet ideology as incompatible with democracy and a peril to American life. The USSR's disintegration in the late 1980s also resulted in Americans' perception of Communism as an essentially non-threatening ideology. Since the 1990s, US relations with a prospering Communist China has grown tremendously. While the US does not share ideologies with China, they do share the mutual interest of economic growth and stability. This has resulted in a major trade relationship and hundreds of US-based multinational companies prospering in mainland China. Furthermore, the US has also relied on China as its biggest foreign creditor. Indeed, both nations have propped each other up due to mutual self-interest in the economic sphere.

While China essentially has a capitalistic market system, it still is a single-party, authoritarian communist government. This runs contrary to the US system of democracy which values free elections and representation by the people and for the people. China is also infamous for its human rights abuses---imprisoning political activists and censoring the internet to a full extent. Some United States politicians have spoken out on the human rights abuses in China but cannot do too much to remedy the situation because of the high financial stakes and relations between the two nations.

Most alliances have been based on economic interests but some in history have also been established on common ideology. This was seen in the Japanese-German axis of World War II. The two nations aligned with each other party due to a matter of shared ideology. Both shared common enemies---the US and Soviet Union. Both expressed expansionist goals---German Nazis with the purpose of conquering Europe and Japan taking over Asia. Both also shared a common nationalist and militaristic culture. Granted, Japan allied with Germany partly for the economic reason of hopefully being supplied with gas. However, this relationship was founded on mostly shared ideological goals.


As the world continually becomes more inter-dependent on one another, nations need to establish relationships with other nations to maintain dynamic economies and protect from outer threats. Indeed, it is difficult for nations to take an isolationist position with the goal of maintaining global pre-eminence, economic power and security for the people. While allies might be divided over ideological beliefs, they will be united by the aim to improve itself economically and maintain national strength.