Beyond the Emergency Problematique. How Do Security IOs Respond to Crises – A Case Study of NATO Response to COVID-19

How do collective security and defence IOs respond to crises? Drawing on a conceptual framework informed by theories of global governance and legitimacy, this article explores IO discourse and behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic, applying NATO as a case study. To build the argument, the article employs an inductive methodology and analysis of speeches and public interventions by the SG and DSG coded in NVivo. The findings corroborate results from existing literature suggesting that during crises NATO discourse tendentially focuses on its ability to perform core functions or constructing identity, generating ‘positive’ legitimacy or increasing relevance of military capital. However, the analysis suggested that the endogenous normative projection at discourse level was less about ‘international responsibility’, but rather crisis responsibility. Similarly, the logic of IO exceptionalism and ‘emergency problematique’ could not be conclusively confirmed based on the analysed sample. Keywords: Crisis Management; IOs; Legitimacy; COVID-19; NATO; Emergency Problematique