strategic alliance and its nature in international trade (with emphasis on oil and gas industry)

A glance at oil and gas industry indicates that oil and gas companies are gradually moving towards long-term collaborations. Strategic alliance is the main instrument for these broad collaborations. Although it is continuously increasing the number and importance of strategic alliances in oil and gas industry, but it has not been adapted with the needs of oil and gas industry and consequently this industry has not been able to use its capabilities, at least in Iran. By assumption of its adaptation with the needs of oil and gas industry, its nature is still vague and this question comes to mind that whether strategic alliance is kind of contract alongside others or is a general structure that involves different kinds of contracts? Certainly with analysis of its nature, we can determine its purpose of convergence and efficiency. According to studies, strategic alliance is a kind of contract that has specific and distinct nature from other contracts.