Strategic Change for NATO: Incremental Response From an Organizational Perspective

Abstract

In his article on thepersistence of NATO after the Cold War, Robert McCalla frames the following question: How do alliancesrespond to changing strategic circumstances? The focus of this project is to explore McCalla's question froman organizational perspective. The thesis details the following chain of logic: NATO is an institution thatpossesses bureaucratic characteristics and these characteristics can be understood through theories oforganizations. Specifically, the manner in which NATO is evolving is consistent with the descriptive theory ofincrementalism. Political-military policy formation that provides the substance to the debate over NATO'sfuture is described in terms of an incrementalist model to demonstrate that change to the structure and role ofNATO will take place under predicable circumstances. Policy makers within the organizational andinstitutional regime of NATO continue to adapt to new missions that are congruent with patternedexpectations. The predominant finding is that NATO shows evidence of change under the mechanism ofincrementalism. This mechanism will remain a valid model for future determinations of NATO's persistence