NATO and the EU: competing or complementary visions of global hegemony?

Date

2026-6-25

Author

Akar, Mehmet

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This study examines whether the strategic visions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) are competitive or complementary in shaping Western hegemony amid rising multipolarity. It contrasts NATO’s hard power, rooted in offensive realism, with the EU’s soft power, grounded in liberal institutionalism. Using hegemonic stability theory and a synthesis of realist and liberal perspectives, the paper argues that, despite persistent political and institutional frictions, the NATO–EU relationship creates a functional synergy within a hybrid hegemonic structure. The Ukraine War serves as an empirical case suggesting how military deterrence and economic-normative influence can reinforce a hybrid, adaptable form of Western-led governance. The study concludes that deeper institutional coordination and strategic alignment are essential to preserving the resilience of the liberal international order in an increasingly contested global environment.

Subject Keywords

NATO, EU, hegemony, multipolarity, transatlantic relations, NATO, AB, hegemonya, çok kutupluluk, transatlantik ilişkiler

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119757

Collections

Department of Economics, Article