| In an increasingly globalized world, threats originating from outside the North Atlantic/European area affect the security of the transatlantic alliance, forcing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to develop capabilities to combat a multiplicity of global threats. This thesis will examine the security-development nexus and the changing nature of warfare, which compels the transatlantic alliance to transform itself or risk irrelevance. It will evaluate the recent evolutions in NATO's missions and advocate the enhancement of its humanitarian assistance capabilities in order to maintain its organizational relevance. By taking a qualitative analytical approach, this thesis will examine, compare, and assess past and present case studies of NATO operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya to understand the alliance's future mission challenges. Documenting and comparing these case histories in their changing contexts will provide a basis for forecasting and evaluating future operational scenarios which NATO might undertake either alone or in cooperation with other regional bodies. This thesis will consider the responsibilities of NATO vis-a-vis other organizations---namely the United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, and African Union---in leading peacekeeping missions. Additionally, this thesis will be interdisciplinary, drawing mainly on political science and international relations, and also on just war principles and international law to assess humanitarian interventions from an ethical and legal perspective. It will also consider the values-related aspects of NATO interventionism such as the new norm of responsibility to protect, while evaluating the political, operational, ethical, and legal complexities and implications of these missions. This thesis will argue that due to the security-development nexus, NATO must use its resources to support development, peacekeeping, and humanitarian interventions in order to maintain its organizational utility and legitimacy in the international community. |
