Group of allied countries (4)
I believe the answer is:
bloc
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">group of allied countries</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for bloc that I've seen before include "Political group of nations" , "Group of countries with a shared aim" , "-- Forsyth, entertainer" , "Combination of parties or countries" , "Political coalition" .)