ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book first investigates a number of explicitly theoretical treatments of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It then proceeds from the premise that neo-realism has been mistaken in its assumptions on NATO. The book considers that price brings neo-realism up to date and so is a useful balance to these arguments by Adrian Hyde. It further discusses Gabi Schlag on securitisation and Michael Williams on risk which makes persuasive arguments about NATO's character by focusing on the 1990s, NATO's first post-Cold War decade. Debates on NATO's future were sustained by the re-emergence of conflict in Europe. Throughout much of the 1990s, the crucible of change for NATO was in the Balkans. The book demonstrates the benefits and limits of theory in addressing the shifts. It also utilises theory in order to draw inferences about NATO policy in the round.
