NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere. NATO was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

NATO Post-Cold War Period

The main purpose is to see how it evolved in the Post-Cold War period and what it adapted.  In the most significant part of the dissertation, we need to address the hypostasis: NATO’s current and future operations are entirely and largely based on the emergence of a large number of threats from outside of the area (talk about Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, cyber threats) these replace the original ethos and become a central component of how NATO has survived and continues to function. It needs to determine the extent to which NATO has shifted its attention to non-traditional threats (traditional threat Russia). Russia replaced Soviet Union, China is rising and its perhaps a more power than Russia as it has far less constraints than Russia.

NATO future is dependent upon the nature and range of threats that exist there. One of them continues to be the traditional threat but in addition to that we have this wide range of varied non-traditional smaller threats around the world- which NATO was not concerned with in the past.  They were not an area of concern. However, out of area now, in the post-cold war and post 9/11era, out of area concerns are central to NATO ethos and this is where the swift is occurred. In this swift we find reason for NATO survival, continuation and strengthen of the organisation.

Chapter 1

Introduction (First part). Why should we be interested. Why should we read it (we need to justify it). What makes important topic and it is important because the international system it is still anarchic.  NATO’s membership expansion is also significant, it incorporates a large number of states, a huge population and there are threats out there, that the liberal democracies in NATO need to be protected against).
Second section. Literature review. What do other say about NATO? Who are the famous writes and what do they say about its role in the post 9/11 era? (6-7 writers, articles should be ok for this) Additionally, there are realist writers who talk about alliance formation like John Mearsheimer’s and then move on to other writers and other ideas)

Third section

Think about the hypnotises, methodology, research question and lay out the terms and objective of the dissertation which is to analyse the shift that has occurred in NATO and what has NATO been concerned with in terms of its central ethos, so what was it concerned with and what is it concerned about now. (dealing with the background, ethos and purpose of NATO) Here maybe argue that NATO has always been a collective defensive organisation and throughout the Cold WAR it was its primary concerned with defending and protecting its members from threats from outside of NATO area including Soviet Union. With the collapse of Soviet Union what is the future of NATO?
Then maybe we can provide a breakdown of each of the areas that will follow and we will look at in Chapter 2-3 and so one in one paragraph- the synopsis)

Chapter 2.

Talk about what NATO did, what was its concerned with, its goal, objectives. Its origins as well as ethos (1500-2000 words by setting the scene). Talk about 1990’s and the debate during the 1990s. I would also bring forward the argument that NATO’s future was under question due to collapse Soviet Union and the disappearance of that threat.  Furthermore, you may also talk about the Partnerships and other treaty and the expansion.

Chapter 3.

Continuation. Deal with the continuation of the traditional threats (Russia, China nuclear weapons. These are the countries with which NATO has a nuclear deterrence. It is able to balance and create that stability that exist between China, Russia and the west NATO). This is a tripolar relation but the essence is the same- great power control for influence. Russia with it is involvement in Syria, Middle East, Ukraine, Crimea it is about influence and resurgence. In the background is the nuclear weapon which offers a balance to that tripolar relation.

Chapter 4.

Talk about transition: the changes. How NATO changed. Talk about Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, cyber threats, terrorism, drugs, human trafficking and other areas that NATO is now concerning with. Can be in two chapters. Like chapter 4. Drugs, terrorism and cybersecurity and Chapter 5 = the human security element -human trafficking and so on.

Chapter 5 or 6 – final conclusion.

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