Carry that weight: assessing continuity and change in NATO’s burden-sharing disputes

This article proposes Stephen Jay Gould’s concepts of time’s arrow and cycle as a conceptual tool to analyse NATO’s burden-sharing disputes. It argues that the controversies on in NATO can be assessed terms their cyclic or kind nature, rendering some disputes more likely recur than others providing different kinds starting points for forecasting. The study identifies four categories which has transformed into political debate among members during post-Cold War era: geopolitical change related Russia; periods US foreign retrenchment renewal; passivity activism European members; allied out-of-area operations. Moreover, suggests an direction disputes, indicating expansion cover comprehensive security, resilience, security co-operation diplomacy, engulf also partner countries.