Over the past several years, mutual defense treaties have been returning after decades of slumber.
Finland and Sweden joined NATO; Russia and Belarus upgraded their pact to include nuclear deterrence; and an agreement signed in 2024 brings North Korea and Russia together if war breaks out.
Each of these is significant. However, what is forming today is far bigger than what has happened so far. Mutual defense treaties are making a comeback at a moment when the world is gripped by war. Just this summer, three conflicts took place back-to-back (India-Pakistan in May, Israel-Iran in June, and Cambodia-Thailand in July). The idea of introducing mutual defense pacts into this environment only raises the probability of a dangerous event forming with global implications.
What are governments planning for? And what doors are being opened as mutual defense treaties return?
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