Description
This roundtable brings together a range of critical perspectives on NATO. Against the backdrop of NATO’s return to the spotlight, capturing global headlines in response to the Russia-Ukraine War. Russia’s war on Ukraine, including the Russian intervention and illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, has gravely affected international security, not least by raising concerns about the threat of nuclear war. Within this context, the Alliance appears to be returning to its Cold War roots as its membership has expanded to include Finland and Sweden. Ukraine itself desires NATO membership. All of these dynamics have renewed conversations about the opportunities and challenges of the Alliance’s growth in size and means. Here we are interested in unpacking the seemingly contradiction between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ security within the workings of the Alliance. The roundtable will focuse on a range of critical feminist perspectives to address several related issues (e.g., Human Security, LGBTQ Rights, and Feminist Foreign Policy). By exploring perspectives on NATO from within the Alliance, the roundtable also aims to examine perceptions of civil society and the public of the Alliance (including anti-NATO activism), and to interrogate NATO’s visual and spatial politics.
