"Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless"

Adolf Hitler’s assertion that any alliance lacking the intention to wage war is senseless and useless reflects a worldview deeply rooted in conflict, dominance, and power politics. The statement frames alliances not as tools for peace, mutual benefit, or diplomatic engagement but strictly as instruments of aggression and collective violence. According to this view, the primary–if not sole–purpose of an alliance is offensive: to project military power, intimidate opponents, and pursue expansionist objectives. Cooperative arrangements motivated by diplomacy, economic collaboration, or cultural exchange are dismissed as naïve or fundamentally ineffective.

Underlying this statement is a philosophy that perceives international relations as a zero-sum game, where nations are in perpetual rivalry, and survival or success depends on the capacity for organized violence. States, by implication, must choose their allies with a war footing in mind; friendship or sentimentality between nations is worthless without readiness for joint military action. The notion of senselessness attached to non-war alliances disregards the value of treaties that maintain peace and stability, prevent misunderstandings, or facilitate progress through shared interests.

This lens also exposes an undercurrent of cynicism and mistrust towards ideals such as collective security, peaceful coexistence, or international cooperation. By reducing the purpose of alliances to preparation for conflict, the statement reveals the author's belief that force underpins all significant changes in world affairs. In practical terms, it encourages leaders to continually seek opportunities for military advantage, promoting arms races and undermining trust between nations. Ultimately, this attitude helped shape the aggressive policies of the Nazi regime, which repeatedly breached diplomatic agreements and treated international partners as temporary expedients on the path to conquest. It stands in stark contrast to later efforts to forge alliances built on deterrence, mutual defense, and common values, such as those seen with NATO or the European Union, whose existence rebuts the grim logic of Hitler's worldview.