Introduction
The rise of NATO’s global role in the post-Cold War period is a well-recognized phenomenon due to the unstable socio-political situation in many world regions. Promoting the alliance’s political interests and gaining new partners are the aspects to analyze to assess the expansion of NATO’s influence.
Promoting Political Interests
Striving to ensure the security of the members of the alliance, NATO promotes political interests based on support, including military capabilities. According to Olsson et al. (2018), the activities of the international organization are largely based on communication with the public to strengthen the image. This applies not only to the North American continent but also to many other regions. Setting the task of expanding the alliance at the end of the 20th century, the NATO leadership established productive interaction with European states, providing financial and military support. For instance, Brexit has become an important global event, and NATO has done much to ensure that this process is accompanied by the least political unrest (Ewers-Peters, 2021). Such promotion of interests is rational in the context of continuous conflicts in different regions and attempts by the international organization to create a stable interaction background.
New Partners in the World
Along with active communication with other international organizations, NATO is actively promoting its influence outside the European Union. The Asian region is a promising area for advancement, and despite the fact that the countries in it are not members of the alliance, cooperation with them is conducted (Chaban et al., 2018). Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and some other states may become important strategic partners for NATO (Chaban et al., 2018). Having stable interaction between members of the organization in Europe, the alliance needs to strengthen its socio-political influence in the East. This direction of partnership is logical and justified, especially in the context of frequent armed conflicts and public unrest observed in the target regions.
Conclusion
Promoting political interests and searching for new partners in the East are essential strategic tasks for NATO. The expansion of the alliance’s influence is due to the desire to protect the member countries from unfriendly states and establish stable socio-political conditions.
References
Chaban, N., Bacon, P., Burton, J., & Vernygora, V. (2018). NATO global perceptions – Views from the Asia-Pacific region. Asian Security, 14(1), 1-7. Web.
Ewers-Peters, N. M. (2021). Brexit’s implications for EU-NATO cooperation: Transatlantic bridge no more?The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 23(4), 576-592. Web.
Olsson, E. K., Wagnsson, C., & Hammargård, K. (2018). The use of political communication by international organizations: The case of EU and NATO. In C. Bjola & K. Pamment (Eds.), Countering online propaganda and extremism (pp. 66-80). Routledge.