Final answer:
The text highlights political instability as a potential problem affecting strategic alliances in Russia, particularly due to varied security threat perceptions and responses among nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The text cites political instability in Russia as a potential problem with strategic alliances. This is because varying conceptions of security threats and political relations between nations can complicate the creation of unified policy priorities and responses when dealing with Russia. In the context of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western nations responded with traditional methods such as the formation of alliances around NATO and by imposing economic sanctions on Russia. These actions led to significant disruptions in foreign trade, with Russia becoming more dependent on China and understanding between diverse political cultures becoming more strained.