Final answer:
Governments encourage strategic alliances primarily to enhance national security and defense capabilities by presenting a united front that deters potential attackers and to coordinate international policy responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
One reason that governments encourage strategic alliances is to enhance national security and defense capabilities. When countries form alliances, they increase predictability by making public member states' military commitments, which serves as a deterrent against attacks on any member states. Potential attackers know they would face the combined strength of the alliance. Alliances like NATO are designed to coordinate policy responses to international events and to the foreign policy decisions of non-allied states, making accidental or impulsive military action less likely. Moreover, these alliances can often include economic aspects, such as trade agreements, which are created to mutually benefit member states by fostering economic growth and enabling businesses to prosper in the international market.