NATO between Exclusivity and Inclusivity

Abstract

Building on an original dataset, this article focuses on the interactionsbetween NATO and its declared worldwide partners. It argues that theanalysis of these interactions can reveal NATO’s strategic approach topartnerships, but it can also provide a tool for its classification as anorganisation that is either exclusive – defined by the focus on defence of itsmembers, or inclusive – emphasising the global protection of democraciesand human rights. The relationship between types of interactions and NATOcategorisation is estimated using an unconditional negative binomialregression with fixed effects as well as a within-between (hybrid) model.Furthermore, they are illustrated on two brief case studies of Sweden andJapan. The results of the study suggest that NATO engages primarily withcountries that are powerful relative to their neighbourhood, even thoughthey are not the most powerful among the partners. The given country’slevel of democracy, integration into the international institutions, andstability, do not seem to play any overarching role here.