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Patterns of continuity in NATO’s long history

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Abstract

This piece situates the logic of NATO expansion in the immediate post-Cold War era within the broader history of the alliance. It argues that NATO has, since its inception, faced two competing pressures: to remain static or to become more dynamic and take on new members or new functional roles. With the end of the Cold War, the strongest arguments for a static NATO fell away, and the case for dynamism gained strength. A longer-term perspective suggests pressure on NATO to continue expanding. Seeing these patterns, and observing how some pressures changed over time, provides context for specific enlargement decisions. It also raises questions about the conditions that would have been required for NATO not to have expanded after the Cold War. This helps to contextualize the legacy of enlargement, to think about present policy, and to consider options for the future.

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  1. Department of History & International Relations Program, University of Toronto, 308N-1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, M5S 3K7, Canada

    Timothy Andrews Sayle

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Sayle, T.A. Patterns of continuity in NATO’s long history. Int Polit 57, 322–341 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-020-00237-5

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