The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the longest standing military alliance in modern history. NATO’s past, for many, shapes the alliance’s reputation around the world. Trying to manage unpredictable political situations in the East European bloc, operations, such as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and states’ conformity with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), are all examples of past issues that affect NATO today. Global generational change will not leave room for manoeuvre, and NATO’s long expired, simplified reasoning to justify its operations and modus operandi will not be adequate in a world that is constantly changing and evolving.

The future will bring up challenges that the past did not. Issues such as climate change, migration and integration, and cyber security, for instance, are now focal points in global governance and will stand as a test of NATO’s ambitions and capabilities alongside past issues such as nuclear arms control and the functioning of the arms industry in general. Stepping away from Cold War behaviour, NATO awaits challenges that will show how important and powerful international interdependencies can be in creating a win-win scenario for member and non-member states. In this article I will take a historical constructivist approach in order to highlight the importance of collective state security and to provide a lens for any liberal future suggestions or predictions for improving the understanding of NATO’s role in maintaining peace regionally and globally in the upcoming decades.