Legal Definitions - offensive treaty

An offensive treaty is a type of international agreement between two or more nations or sovereigns in which the parties agree to declare war jointly on another nation and join forces to wage the war. This type of treaty is also known as a treaty of alliance.

For example, the Triple Entente was an offensive treaty signed in 1907 between the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. The treaty was aimed at countering the threat posed by the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Another example is the Warsaw Pact, an offensive treaty signed in 1955 between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries. The treaty was aimed at countering the threat posed by NATO, a defensive treaty signed by Western European countries and the United States.

These examples illustrate how offensive treaties can be used to form alliances and counter the perceived threats posed by other nations or alliances.