How America could lose its allies | 2020 Election

What is NATO? And why is it still around?

For 150 years, the US avoided formal alliances. It occasionally went to war -- fighting the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, and World War I -- but did so without entangling itself in promises to other countries. Then, after World War II, it abruptly changed course, and began to build a network of alliances unlike anything that had come before.

Over the next few decades, the US used those alliances to keep countries around the world close, and to fight Soviet expansion, by making a promise that it would go to war if any of its allies were ever attacked. After the Soviet Union fell, the initial purpose of those alliances was gone, but the US recommitted to them, signaling again and again that the central promise of those relationships was still in effect. It kept doing so for the next 25 years.

Then the US elected a leader who took America’s global relationships in a new direction. President Trump was skeptical that America’s network of alliances was still beneficial to the US. He began to distance the US from those alliances, raising doubts about whether America would actually follow through on the promise at the core of them if provoked. Some allies moved closer to Russia or China, both of whom had attempted to undermine America’s alliances.

Today, the future of those alliances is on the ballot in the US. One of the major presidential candidates in the 2020 election wants to return the US to its former status with its allies; the other finds its decades-old alliances costly and cumbersome. The world is waiting to see which vision Americans prefer.

This was the sixth in our series of 2020 election explainers, all based on viewer suggestions. Watch the others, which cover the stakes of the election on:

Sources and further reading:

[Vox]

Correction: At 2:26, our map of the Soviet Union includes Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was not part of the USSR.

This was the sixth episode of our series on the 2020 election. Over 15, 000 of you told us which issues mattered the most to you, and we made 9 episodes explaining what the election meant for those issues:

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[theeeeeeleooo]

*USA allies before the british*

1. Pacific Ocean
2. Atlantic Ocean.

[vazeyo]

"The United States of America is a lucky country. Surrounded by oceans and weak neighbours."
- Otto von Bismarck

[anotheridiotoninternet]

“Japan is moving closer to China” that’s more likely geographically than politically.

[whipzoned]

How America could lose its allies
Iran, Russia, North Korea and China: *write that down, write that down!*

[alec]

Being a 3rd world country is like being stuck with a divorced parent just because they gained custody of you cause he or she is the richer one.

[crashskunk]

The US: “Could you please use 2% of your GDP on defence?”
Iceland: what is a defence?

[thethrowbackguy]

Africa finding out there’s a big groupchat they’re not in: 👁👄👁

[ATEG]

Meanwhile, Philippines: *looking at Cold War-era planes and submarines from South Korea and Israel* Hmm, a bit pricey, but I think I'll splurge

[ebenguenthner]

Vox: America had no relations with other countries until WWII

Latin America: 👀

[jmlkinc]

Reminder: Canada and Australia were in WWII before America. They aren't even highlighted with the Allies in this video. Kind of sad to see.

[d_]

Japan isn’t siding with China . Infact it started the QUAD to counter China .

[yesyess]

7:12 "You could think about Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a prelude to what could happen"
That aged well.

[geetika]

I can't stop laughing at the fact that this is video is sponsored by a vodka company

[Coraxincarmine]

Guys, historian check, the US had both France and Spain as allies in the begining. Spain was "erased" from the mainstream history because in 1898 the US decided to "free" Cuba and the Philippines.

[ethanrepublic]

*The United States was protected by two oceans until 1941* Britain in 1812: Hey.

[Daniel-qxnm]

“The US was the only superpower in the world”
China: Gas Gas Gas

[brendanjrice]

In short: America’s having a midlife crisis

[xcxtinarocha]

The USA was never “allies” with Latin American countries. It was more of neocolonialist effort

[adammaxwell-timmins]

I'll save you 12 minutes: The US is having an identity crisis again