NATO Research Articles

Political and Legal Dimension of the Prospects for Ukraine's Invitation to NATO

The purpose of the research is to reveal the possibilities of inviting Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the context of the escalation of Russian aggression. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity, scientificity, verification, authorial objectivity, moderate narrative constructivism, as well as the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special-historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic ) methods. The scientific novelty is that for the first time in historiography, the current prospects of Ukraine's invitation to NATO have been considered. Conclusions. Accession to NATO is a constitutionally enshrined main priority of Ukraine, a fundamental condition for its survival. Today, the political elite of Ukraine and Western governments are unanimous on the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO. The Russian-Ukrainian war acts as an arena in which the political and military strategies of the global West are formed and break into the intentions of those world forces that promote anti-democratic values and, using Western technologies, intend to play a leading role in world civilization. The further development of the world system depends on Ukraine for a long period, and possibly for centuries to come. The need to invite Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is due to the possibility of overcoming the global crisis of international security. In favor of the rapid Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, the uniqueness of the military experience in the large-scale modern war against powerful Russia, the removal of the financial burden from the NATO members, the demonstration of the unity of the Alliance and the ability to respond to modern challenges testify. Ukraine demonstrates commitment to high spiritual values, such as freedom, independence, dignity and self-respect, on which the Alliance is built. Thanks to its armed forces and active civil society, it deserves NATO membership.

Peculiarities of lobbying regulation in Ukraine in the context of European and Euro-Atlantic integration

Peculiarities of lobbying regulation in Ukraine in the context of European and Euro-Atlantic integration

Cooperation of the Lublin Triangle in the context of security threats in the region of Central and Eastern Europe

The purpose of this article is to outline the new multidimensional format of cooperation between Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The Lublin Triangle is a trilateral regional alliance between Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine established in Lublin on 28 July 2020. The initiative relates to cooperation across the power, infrastructure, security and cultural sectors with an aim to strengthen dialogue between the states and reinforce efforts to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and support its integration into the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Some of the factors driving this new format of cooperation include the growing migrant crisis; increasing importance of the internal and external security in the EU states; Ukraine’s pursuit of EU integration, especially after the Ukraine war outbreak; and strengthening of national states within the EU. The states concerned have turned back to their legacy capital which is and has been the same regional affiliation and, thus, the geographical proximity, shared past, culture, and common interests.

Analysis of the provisions of the legislation of Georgia and Ukraine related to mobilization

Russian military aggression against Ukraine continues for the eleventh year. Terrorist in methods and neo-colonial in essence – now it has acquired an existential character. Russia considers regaining its influence on the post-Soviet territories, among which Ukraine occupies a special place, as one of the priorities of its foreign policy. The first phase of the war, which began in 2014, did not stop the integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic space, so the full-scale aggression, which began on February 24, 2022, was supposed to finally resolve the issue of the existence of an independent Ukraine. The political goals of the so-called «special military operation» were to change the political system and the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine. In the third year of the full-scale invasion, according to the determination of the top military leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Armed Forces of Ukraine), the war has reached the level of a protracted positional war, and in order to confront the enemy, Ukraine needs international assistance and the mobilization of all available resources: military, economic, and the most valuable – human. The analysis of the defense legislation of Georgia is of interest in view of the common colonial past of Ukraine and Georgia, the identical starting principles of the construction of the Armed Forces, the practical experience of armed aggression by the Russian Federation (hereinafter – the Russian Federation), access to the Black Sea, the occupation of part of the sovereign territories and the legally defined Euro-Atlantic course of development. Ukraine and Georgia are also members of the subregional association of 12 countries of the Black Sea region – the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), which increases their status in the negotiations on possible future accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (hereinafter – NATO) and the European Union (hereinafter – the EU). Ukrainian legislation in the field of defense requires normalization of issues of military service, mobilization, creation of a mobilization reserve, and reformation through codification. The updated legislation in the field of mobilization and management of mobilization resources should form the basis of the future consolidated codified act – the Defense Code of Ukraine.

The Way the U.S. Balances Ideology and National Interest in Foreign Policy from the Perspective of Encouraging and Restricting Foreign Investment

In recent years, the US has imposed a series of initiatives such as high tariffs on China and even its Western allies, etc. Especially in 2018, the US introduced the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, which further strengthened the security review of foreign investment, resulting in non-US companies with advantages being restricted from investing in the US. This paper argues that whether the US encourages or restricts local investment by companies from different countries is still a direct reflection of its foreign policy towards different countries, which has always oscillated between idealism and realism. Whether or not to pursue the ideological attitude of foreign investment, mainly depends on its security and economic goals, values of the goal of maximizing the interests of the integrated consideration, and its pursuit of strategic interests is above the pursuit of ideological goals. This paper will cite decades of U.S. treatment of investment enterprises in different countries, as well as whether the technological level of different enterprises let the U.S. feel the pressure of specific cases to analyze how the U.S. balance of ideology and national interests. Therefore, the consistency and conflict between foreign investment and U.S. national interests determine the realist position of the U.S. in the security review of foreign investment, i.e., to maximize U.S. national interests by seeking to obtain a balance between national interests and the transmission of ideology in the review.

The NATO Members and the Budget Guidelines in the Final Year: 2024

This study examines the defence expenditures of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) member countries over the period 2014-2024 and this in relation to the NATO 2014 summit decision of Wales. The research of this article is to examine the following points: How has defence spending by the member states evolved in the period under consideration (2014 – 2024) and more specifically the evolution to the 2% GDP (Grand Domestic Product) military expenditures; Which states already meet the second target of the 2014 Wales summit, namely: the 20% investment in equipment of the national military budget. The current figures are based on the primary budgetary sources as published by the NATO, namely: the defence expenditures of NATO countries (2014-2024). (see references).

Russia-Ukraine War and the Imperatives of a New Global Order

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has illuminated the inherent problems within the current global order and accentuated the urgent need for a re-imagined framework that addresses these issues. This study underscored the multifaceted nature of Russia-Ukraine War and the imperative of international efforts to seek a sustainable resolution. Using secondary data and content analysis. Findings reveal that Russia-Ukraine War is rooted in a complex web of historical, cultural, and geopolitical factors which the escalation of the conflict was exacerbated by issues related to the continuous encroachment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into territories considered to be sphere of influence of Russia, Crimea's annexation, the rights of Russian-speaking populations, and Ukraine's alignment with Western institutions. The study conclude that the conflict has contributed to a reevaluation of alliances and strategic partnerships on the global stage. It has also raised questions about the effectiveness of international institutions and the challenges posed by information warfare, energy security, and arms control. The study recommends that the international community should reaffirm its commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and other relevant agreements. Violations of these norms, as witnessed in Crimea, should be met with condemnation and diplomatic pressure.

Central European strategies in the new Cold War: between balancing and bandwagoning

This article argues that the security of Central Europe – defined as stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black See–is based first and foremost on the viability and engagement of the Western alliance, understood as NATO and the European Union. The security and defense policies in the region are designed in relation to NATO and bilateral relations with the United States, with limited attempts to achieve some degree of self-sufficiency. Therefore, to understand the security of Central Europe and its individual nations, it is essential to understand their attitudes and fears related to alliances as well as their perceptions of Russia’s intentions. It is posited here that the concept that can best explain the behavior of the nations of the region, allowing also for forecasting future behavior, is the balance of threat theory, as put forward by Stephen Walt. According to the theory, the nations facing threat chose to either balance the threatening power by joining forces with other actors and forming alliances or joining in with their predator, which constitutes a bandwagoning behavior. Historically, especially during the interwar period, these strategies have been employed by Central European nations. Today, the security environment is arguably very different– we have NATO, EU, and American engagement in the region. However, the international environment has deteriorated recently, especially since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Arguably, Central European states have responded by falling, to some extent, into patterns of behavior familiar from the past, with some clinging to closer relations with their external patron (the United States) and some hedging their bets and opting for relative neutrality or even closer relations with Russia. The article argues that four factors determine states’ behavior vis-à-vis the Russian threat: geography, history, predator intentions, and the perception of allied reliability.

Uncovering the Opium Crisis: The Poison of Turkish–American Relations in the 1960s and 1970s

Opium cultivation in Turkey had a long history spanning centuries. It was used as food, oil, painkiller, and a raw material to produce heroin. In the late 1960s, opium production precipitated a crisis between the United States of America (USA) and Turkey in which the USA puts increasing pressure on Turkey to ban opium cultivation as a part of its fight against drug addiction. However, the opium crisis was more than just a crop crisis, because Turkey did not play a major role in illegal drug trafficking as a producer country due to the volume of its opium production. Rather, the crisis can be viewed as a diplomatic offensive to test Turkey's loyalty to the USA and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Turkey was economically and militarily dependent on the USA, but shaken by the rise of the left and anti-Americanism in the late 1960s, it tried to move away from its US-centric foreign policy after the Cyprus Crisis in 1964. Ultimately, the democratically elected Demirel and Ecevit governments failed the test of loyalty to the USA and NATO, while the Erim government, backed by the military, passed the test due to different political, economic and social concerns.

The security and deterrence policy of the Baltic states in 2014-2024

ObjectivesThe full-scale annexation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the political elites of the Baltic states to devote even more attention to security problems and to update the defence plans of the Baltic region. The aim of the work is to analyze the development of the security and deterrence strategies of the Baltic states in the years 2014-2024 in the face of potential Russian threats on the border of the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The starting point for the discussion is the hypothesis that the sense of threat from the Russian Federation contributes to the intensification of trilateral military cooperation between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The theoretical basis for the empirical analysis is the adaptive strategy model (so-called grand strategy ) developed by Colin Dueck .Methodscase studyResultsAfter the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states were encouraged to tighten strategic trilateral cooperation and develop the potential of their armed forces to increase the ability to defend their own territory, while striving to strengthen collective defence and deterrence within NATO.ConclusionsThe Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in active investment in defense in the Baltic states. In Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, there is currently strong political will to continuously develop military potential, combined with increased public interest in state security issues.

The end of a myth? Turkish-American relations during the National Unity Committee Governments (1960–1961)

ABSTRACT The Democrat Party’s (DP) decade-long period in office ended with a military intervention on 27 May 1960. In the coup declaration, the National Unity Committee (NUC) announced that Turkey would remain loyal to its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) alliances as well as Turkey’s other international commitments. Turkey’s economic and military dependence on the USA (United States of America) also remained unchanged, contrary to the expectations of the Kemalists, leftists, and anti-DP circles who had mythicized the NUC’s role in Turkey’s independence from the USA. This study examines primary sources such as US archival records and the records of the Turkey’s constituent assembly and provisional government. It analyses the diplomatic relations between Turkey and the USA during this period and shows how Turkey’s dependence on the USA continued through economic and military assistance.

Finland's Strategic Shift: A New Chapter with NATO Membership

This paper delves into Finland's potential accession to NATO, marking a significant departure from its longstanding policy of military non-alignment. As geopolitical dynamics in the Baltic region undergo profound changes, Finland's consideration of NATO membership carries far-reaching implications for regional security and global geopolitics. Finland responded to Russian aggressiveness by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to counteract Russia�s security threats in the region. The abstract explores the historical context of Finland's neutrality, the evolving security landscape, and the factors driving the nation towards reevaluating its defense posture. Using the research method of critical content analysis and in-depth interview with military and defense and security analyst Rahakundini, the potential impact on NATO, Russia's response, and the broader implications for the delicate balance of power in Northern Europe. The proposed NATO membership signals a strategic recalibration for Finland, with ramifications extending beyond national borders, shaping the geopolitical narrative in an ever-evolving international arena.

Authoritarization and Resilience of Democratic Evolution Of Georgia

Untill recently Georgia was a leader of the euro-atlantic integration process among the formal soviet republics. But in 2022 unlike Ukraine and Moldova, it was denied the status of candidate member of EU. Despite the fact that she received candidate status in 2023 it is not clear whether the development of the country to democracy had stopped or not. This determined the purpose of the article to reveal the resilience of the democratic evolution of Georgia, which has not been studed yet. The article is founded on the contextual holism. Using cyclical approach, by means of case study and historical chronological methods the democratic evolution of Georgia is studed. Unenterrupted charactere of it indicates the high resilience of this evolution. It has been continued even under the conditions of authoritarian regimes.Three cycles of democratization and three cycles of athoritarization is discerned and their chronological frameworks are determined. High recilience of democratic evolution is explained by the higher level of the democratic potential of Georgia, which stopped the strngthening of authoritrian prassure. Geographical proximity to Europe and Christianity Added values of the article are : the detection of high resilience of the democcratic evalution of Georgia and contribution of authoritarian regimes to the democratic evolution; investigation of the role of democratic potential and westernization in this process. Cycles of democratization is distingished and their chronology established and the present phase of the transition to the democracy is identified. Variables of resilience of democratic evolution and authoritarianization are revealed. Enfluence of invasion of Russia in Ukraine on democratization is studed.

The Transition of Bulgarian Military Intelligence in the Post–Cold War Era: From Warsaw Pact to NATO (1989–2004)

The reconstruction of the history of the Bulgarian military intelligence services in the first fifteen years of post–Cold War democratic transition until the accession of the country to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been rarely discussed in contemporary historiography so far. The proposed publication was based on various newly declassified archival sources, as well as on some personal recollections. The transformation of the Bulgarian military intelligence services in those years could be separated into three basic stages, in parallel with the transformation of the Armed Forces and the society as a whole.

The Use of Cyber Tools by the Russian Military: Lessons from the War against Ukraine and a Warning for NATO?

This article examines the Russian military’s Information Warfare (IW) activities. The particular focus here is on the use by this military of operations in cyberspace as a strategic force-multiplier. It seeks to shed light on why such operations are so important to this military and what goals it hopes to achieve through their use. In particular, this article highlights the role played by what Russian analysts refer to as cyber-psychological and cyber-technical opera- tions. Having established the background to the Russian military’s IW thinking, this article then goes on to examine the application of its cyberspace operations against Ukraine: both before the 2022 invasion and as part of it. It is from this examination of the cyber- attacks conducted against Ukraine that a better understanding of the potential of Russian IW can be generated. As such, lessons can be drawn from this conflict as to how, in the future, the Russian military might employ IW specifically against NATO states as part of a major kinetic confrontation. But, as this article notes, drawing lessons as to the actual strength of Russian IW capabilities from the Ukraine conflict may be a flawed process. It may be the case that the Russian military might not have shown its true cyber hand in Ukraine. It may be saving its best cyber tools for any future conflict with NATO itself.

Impact of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on International Staple Agrifood Trade Networks.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a growing concern worldwide and poses serious threats to regional and global food security. Using monthly trade data for maize, rice, and wheat from 2016/1 to 2023/12, this paper constructs three international crop trade networks and an aggregate international food trade network. We aim to examine the structural changes following the occurrence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. We find significant shifts in the number of edges, average in-degree, density, and efficiency in the third quarter of 2022, particularly in the international wheat trade network. Additionally, we have shown that political reasons have caused more pronounced changes in the trade connections between the economies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia than with Ukraine. This paper could provide insights into the negative impact of geopolitical conflicts on the global food system and encourage a series of effective strategies to mitigate the negative impact of the conflict on global food trade.

The AUKUS agreement: a new form of the plurilateral defence alliance? A view from downunder

ABSTRACT In 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced a multi-decade programme – dubbed AUKUS – for tripartite collaboration in the development of nuclear-powered submarines and other advanced military capabilities. This article explores the extent to which AUKUS signals a departure from a spectrum of US-centred international security arrangements ranging from a plurilateral model, as exemplified by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), to the bilateral (hub-and-spoke) model more common in the Indo-Pacific. The paper argues that AUKUS complements US-centred protective arrangements along NATO and hub-and-spoke lines. In leveraging US technological leadership and military investments to enhance partner-specific military capabilities, and AUKUS breaks new ground, being less about deterrence of, and military responses to, an attack aggression on one or more of its members, and more about enhancing interoperability, combined operational s/synergy, and reciprocity in new capability formation by the parties. The work concludes that the AUKUS arrangements stand to provide less scope for free-riding by the parties, while giving them greater incentive to invest in interoperable military capabilities, thereby creating more contingent (real) deployment options for the future, US-led combined military operations, to be exercised by the parties in response to emergent military contingencies.

One Health, many perspectives: Exploring Indigenous and Western epistemologies

Abstract The One Health approach, which assesses the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health, fails to include and amplify Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous scientists. To effectively center Indigenous knowledge next to and within the One Health approach, which is historically based in Western science, the similarities and differences between Indigenous science, specifically Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and One Health must be explored. The objective of this project is to identify values in Indigenous science that are unsupported or underrepresented in Western science and then collaboratively ideate recommendations that Western allies can take to center and support Indigenous scientists and elevate Indigenous knowledge. From January to March 2023, the study team conducted semi-structured interviews with Indigenous knowledge keepers via Zoom video calls. American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli), and other Indigenous participants from the global diaspora residing in the continental United States and Hawaiian Islands were recruited through social media and referrals from Indigenous leaders who had participated in formative (phase 1) interviews completed in 2022. In those formative interviews, four themes emerged and called for further exploration of Indigenous perspectives on (1) the natural world, (2) cultural heritage, (3) value expression, and (4) reflection. These ideas were reframed into questions asked in subsequent (phase 2) interviews in 2023. Thematic identification methods were used to highlight key ideas throughout the interviews. Participants noted gaps between their Indigenous worldviews and the One Health model, particularly relating to contrasts with Western culture, holistic expression, power in action, identity and belonging, maintaining community and cultural practices, and sharing information/education. It was also noted that One Health must do more than just uplift Indigenous values to support Indigenous scientists and should instead collaborate with TEK keepers and foster practices that are inclusive and validating of other knowledge systems. Phase 2 interview responses highlighted Indigenous principles that are underrepresented in One Health practice. These principles were transformed into considerations specifically for Western-rooted scientists to improve allyship to Indigenous science and scientists. Adoption of the considerations would strengthen partnership between One Health practitioners and Indigenous scientists and promote collaboration across many ways of knowing. One Health impact statement The One Health theory encourages transdisciplinary collaboration to break down siloing and innovate solutions. Yet, One Health practice, and the Western scientific approach it takes, often excludes involvement with Indigenous ways of knowing and disclaims Indigenous knowledge keepers who have been conducting “One Health” work since time immemorial. Indigenous knowledge keepers who self-identified as cultural bridges between Native communities and Western communities were interviewed and asked to speak to values found in Indigenous science and research. The featured principles highlight some of the similarities and differences between Indigenous and Western scientific approaches. The identified values informed recommendations for Western scientists to be better allies to Indigenous scientists and to amplify Indigenous voices and science. One Health practitioners will benefit from these guidelines by navigating research in a more equitable way and by creating sustainable reciprocal partnerships with Indigenous scientists. This makes One Health more open and accessible to Indigenous and Western ways of knowing.

La Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte y la expansión del capitalismo occidental

The outbreak of war in Ukraine and Western support for the Ukrainian state have brought up the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in international politics, a subject debated in the press and media, in universities, in states, and in international organizations. In hasty assessments, the argument that emerges is that the war, particularly the Russian administration of Vladimir Putin, has given NATO a new reason of life, since it no longer had any reason to exist in the face of the defeat and dissolution of the USSR. Our aim in this article is therefore to demonstrate that NATO has always had a reason to exist in order to fulfill the function assigned to it by the Western powers: to eliminate politically and militarily obstacles to the expansion of Western capitalism. Because it is an international political and military organization linked to the capitalist powers led by the United States, with its smaller European partners, it is an organization whose dynamic is expansionist. So, our object is NATO in its founding treaty, institutional organization, strategic concepts, summit meetings, geopolitical expansion, partnerships, and military operations.

The UN and NATO as the Main Pillars of the International Security Architecture with a Focus on the Middle East Region

This study provides a summary overview of the creation and the activities of the international security architecture in the form of their two main pillars, i.e. the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Near and Middle East region. Within the framework of international security relations, this is a very unstable and conflictual region, where this instability has lasted practically since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The global UN, its overall activity and importance, especially humanitarian and peace-building activities not only for the Near and Middle East region, is very beneficial, through out the Cold War period up to the present day. As a security organization, NATO is among the most important global actors influencing current international security relations. Through their activities, both of these organizations represent a essential means of ensuring world peace and security.