Terminates alliances (4)
I believe the answer is:
axes
This clue is a double definition.
'terminates' is the first definition.
(axing is a kind of terminating)
'alliances' is the second definition.
(axis is a kind of alliance)
(Other definitions for axes that I've seen before include "Does away with" , "Choppers" , "Dispenses with" , "Hatchets" , "Main graph lines" .)