Institutions and Organisations: Form and Function in Theory and Practice

Abstract

The North Atlantic alliance has grown in size and ambition since the end of the Cold War, nearly doubling in size and taking on mission sets such as cyber security that were never envisioned at its formation much less in 1991 when the Soviet Union disappeared. As a result of these trends – and the alliance’s enduring commitment to consensus – managing NATO has become an increasingly arduous task. At the same time, there are diverging trends in NATO’s collective defence organisation – from an increased emphasis on and commitment to the development of common assets to the significant restructuring occurring in the alliance’s command structure and secretariat. When the waters settle and NATO recovers from its ISAF-induced exhaustion, will the alliance find itself sized, structured, and organised to continue delivering security to its member states? More broadly, what does evidence from recent years and indicators about the future tell us about whether NATO is still the preeminent collective security agent of the transatlantic community? This panel will seek to answer these and other questions about transatlantic collective security institutions and organisation, chiefly but not exclusively focusing on NATO – NATO’s partnerships and cooperation with the EU and the UN will also be of interest.

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