NATO: Building A Security Community in the Face of Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: NATO has been built upon political, economic, and military issues. Over the years, due to the intensive development of medicine, public debate has marginalised public health threats as aspect of international security. Our goal was to find out whether the transatlantic security community will rise to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/Methodology/Approach: This article attempts to answer the above question through theoretical analysis of the functioning of NATO as a security community as well as through the analysis of actions taken by the Alliance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The hypothesis we were able to confirm is, that the current pandemic is a chance for the Alliance – it can play a greater role in the community than it has done so far. Practical Implications: Our research shows gaps in NATO's crisis management system and the areas that need to be improved. Originality/value: We see our paper as an innovative one, because no one has researched NATO's crisis management mechanisms on the example of a specific, non-military crisis.