Transformation of NATO’s Strategic Concept in the Post–Cold War Era: A Historical and Analytical Inquiry

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 174 - 211, 20.03.2025

Birol Akduman

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has grappled with redefining its purpose amid changing threats and missions. Although the Alliance expanded its role to include humanitarian interventions and counterterrorism operations—particularly after 9/11—Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea signaled a renewed need for collective defense along NATO’s eastern flank. Initial responses, such as the Readiness Action Plan and Enhanced Forward Presence, underscored a partial return to deterrence, yet it was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that truly transformed NATO’s strategic outlook. Suddenly, large-scale conventional warfare was no longer a distant possibility but an active crisis on European soil, prompting Allied capitals to accelerate defense spending, intensify joint exercises, and refine command structures.
At the 2022 Madrid Summit, NATO’s new Strategic Concept identified Russia as “the most significant and direct threat,” formalizing a decisive pivot toward high-readiness collective defense. The accession process for Finland and Sweden reflected the severity of security concerns and marked the end of long-held neutrality within Northern Europe. However, the war’s ripple effects—a massive refugee influx, spiraling energy prices, and heightened nuclear tension—forced the Alliance to confront multifaceted challenges extending beyond mere territorial defense. These developments also revived debates on Europe’s long-term security architecture and the delicate balance between deterrence, diplomacy, and broader global commitments. While retaining lessons learned from the War on Terror period, NATO has effectively recalibrated around conventional defense, positioning itself for an era where state-based aggression and hybrid warfare converge. The transformation now underway may well define the Alliance’s strategic relevance for decades to come.

Keywords

NATO, Strategic Concept, Russo-Ukrainian War, Collective Defense, Madrid Summit

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma akademik etik standartlara uygun olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. İnsan katılımcılar veya hayvanlar üzerinde herhangi bir araştırma içermemekte olup etik kurul onayı gerekmemektedir. Yazar, bu çalışma ile ilgili herhangi bir çıkar çatışması bulunmadığını beyan etmektedir. Araştırma, yazarlık veya makalenin yayımlanması için herhangi bir mali destek alınmamıştır.

Soğuk Savaş Sonrası NATO'nun Stratejik Konseptindeki Dönüşüm: Tarihsel ve Analitik Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Soğuk Savaş’ın sona ermesiyle varoluşsal rakibini kaybeden NATO, 1990’lardan itibaren insani müdahaleler ve terörle mücadele operasyonları gibi “out-of-area” görevler üstlenmiş, böylece savunma kimliğinin ötesine geçerek küresel güvenlik meselelerinde rol almaya başlamıştır. Ancak 2014’te Rusya’nın Kırım’ı ilhak etmesi, İttifak’ın Doğu Avrupa’da kolektif savunma kapasitesini yeniden canlandırması gerektiğini gösteren ilk büyük uyarı niteliği taşımıştır. Bu süreçte Galler (2014) ve Varşova (2016) Zirveleri, Hızlı Tepki Gücü ve İleri Mevzi Varlığı gibi önlemlerle NATO’nun tehdit algılarını güncellemiştir. Yine de esas kırılma, 2022’de Rusya’nın Ukrayna’ya yönelik kapsamlı işgal girişimiyle yaşanmıştır. Bu olay, büyük çaplı konvansiyonel savaşın hâlâ Avrupa’da gerçekleşebileceğini bütün açıklığıyla ortaya koyarken, NATO’yu da tam ölçekli bir stratejik dönüşüme itmiştir.
2022 Madrid Zirvesi’nde kabul edilen yeni Stratejik Konsept, Rusya’yı açıkça “en büyük ve doğrudan tehdit” olarak tanımlamakla kalmamış, aynı zamanda İttifak’ın kolektif savunma ilkesini yüksek hazırlık seviyesine taşıyacak tedbirleri de içermiştir. Finlandiya ve İsveç’in NATO’ya katılım süreci, tarihsel “tarafsızlık” yaklaşımlarının değiştiğini göstermekle beraber, Doğu Avrupalı müttefiklerin güvenlik kaygılarını da kısmen gidermiştir. Öte yandan çatışmanın tetiklediği enerji krizi, mülteci dalgası ve ekonomik sarsıntı gibi faktörler, İttifak içi dayanışmayı hem güçlendirmiş hem de zorlamıştır. Sonuç olarak NATO, terörle mücadele döneminde geliştirdiği esnek operasyon kapasitesini korurken, Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı’nın yarattığı tehdit ortamına adapte olmak üzere kolektif savunma rolüne büyük ölçüde geri dönmüştür. Bu dönüşüm, İttifak’ın gelecek on yıllar boyunca transatlantik güvenlik mimarisindeki yerini belirleyecek kalıcı etkiler doğurabilecek potansiyele sahiptir.

Keywords

NATO, Stratejik Konsept, Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı, Kolektif Savunma, Madrid Zirvesi

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