[LoSboccacc]

> Nations with allies thrive, and those without them wither

let me show you exhibit A:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_betrayal

"allies" is a romantic concept that doesn't hold any water, only the return of investment forecast drives action and inaction.

[davvolun]

That is effectively fixed by amending the statement

> Nations with ardent and sincere allies

And, clearly though certainly teetering toward "no true scotsman," an ally who is only superficially allied (Germany and the USSR during the first half of WWII, or the Allies and USSR after the war) should not be considered an "ally," for all intents and purposes.

And I think it's clear in that specific example you gave how well selling out their allies worked for U.K. and France. If "greed" is your only motivation, eventually your greedy allies will sell you out as well. See, Prisoner's Dilemma or pretty much the entire field of ethics.