Is the Give Passage Right diplomatic offer supposed to be a no-reply, never failing defensive alliance offer? I suppose not, but it's essentially what I've seen twice in the demo (modded in Belgium, but no other changes) now...
- I played Give Passage Right on both England and France on the first turn of my current game, paying one diplomat each.
- On the second turn I see the messages;
"We issued the unilateral action to Great Britain last turn: Give Passage Right
We issued the unilateral action to France last turn: Give Passage Right".
- Looking at my diplomacy screen I now have;
"Defensive Treaty <> Great Britain
Defensive Treaty <> France"
So essentially I gained a defensive alliance for 1 diplomat and with no chance for the recipient country to refuse the alliance. And yes, I just checked to be certain, I could move my military units into French territory, so it's indeed a real alliance...