When, how, and why do states enter into "special relationships" with other states instead of maintaining "normal relationships"? Can different forms and development paths of "Special Relationships" be identified for autocratic and democratic regime types? Based on a broad selection of cases that includes established democracies, transitional countries, as well as autocratic single-party regimes and monarchies, this volume examines the genesis, evolution, and impact of various special relationships at the intersection of foreign policy and international relations through different theoretical and methodological approaches. The contributions conclude that special relationships, even between states with the same regime types, do not uniformly exert positive (stabilizing) or negative (eruptive) effects on interstate relations.