What’s Critical for a Critical Take on NATO in These Times of Trouble?

Conclusion to Critical Perspectives on NATO: Feminist Insights, edited by Sorana-Christina Jude and Katharine A. Wright (Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2026), pp. 212-221.

Mälksoo, Maria. Conclusion: What’s Critical for a Critical Take on NATO in These Times of Trouble?, in Critical Perspectives on NATO: Feminist Insights, edited by Sorana-Christina Jude and Katharine A. Wright, pp. 212-221. Bristol: Bristol University Press. © The Author (2026) DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.32726781.17

What kind of critical perspectives on NATO do we need at the time when Russia has thrown down the gauntlet and demanded the Alliance to return to its pre-1997 boundaries shortly before launching its large-scale war against Ukraine? What emancipations would NATO benefit from in these times of troubles, along with those not prepared to destine it to the bin of Cold War legacies?

Maria Mälksoo • 19 March 2026

RITUAL DETERRENCE is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant (ERC-2021-COG) awarded to Dr Maria Mälksoo, University of Copenhagen, under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (project no 101043468) for 2022-2027.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

RITUAL DETERRENCE is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant (ERC-2021-COG) awarded to Dr Maria Mälksoo, University of Copenhagen, under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (project no 101043468) for 2022-2027.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.