A note accompanying Mahan's argument qualifies the obligations of the Anglo-Japanese alliance. Under the terms read here, either partner is released from military obligations against a third power with which it has a general arbitration treaty. The note gives an arrangement framed between Britain and the United States as its example. That exception changes how an alliance affects naval planning: the existence of a treaty does not by itself determine the response to every possible conflict.
Notable Point · 1:28:13-1:28:43
Arbitration treaties qualify an alliance commitment
An arbitration exception shows why the exact terms of the Anglo-Japanese alliance matter when assessing Britain's position in a possible American-Japanese conflict.