The two competing instincts in US alliance policy

Two recurring preferences in American alliance policy cut across party lines. One favors dependent allies so the United States can set an alliance's direction and protect its own national interests. The other demands that partners provide more of their own defence. In this interpretation, the dependence preference gained particular force after Suez, while allied governments welcomed opportunities to spend defence savings on their other priorities. Greater demands for self-sufficiency now force those governments to make funding choices they had postponed.