Inscriptions of Imperial Order

NATO's 'Mediterranean Initiative'

Abstract

Discussions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) changing role and structure in post-cold war security politics often focus on the adaptive capabilities and strategies involved in the Alliance's policies. Based on a critical theoretical perspective, this article investigates the performative and constructive role of NATO in the discursive re-presentation of security political 'realities'. Focusing in particular on the Alliance's 'Mediterranean Initiative', the article demonstrates how NATO re-articulates its Western identity by constructing a Mediterranean Other. Moreover, by analyzing the Initiative in terms of an 'imperial encounter', it demonstrates how NATO attempts to make its own definition of identity and difference the exclusive basis for the relationships between the West and the Mediterranean region.