NATO’s Quest for Ontological Security: Securitizing Russia in the Arctic

The article examines how NATO has strategically and symbolically addressed disruptions to its ontological security due to Russia’s military build-up in the Arctic and its aggressions in Ukraine. Based on an engagement between ontological security and securitization perspectives, the article argues that NATO’s intentional and unconscious securitization acts towards Russia have addressed its material threats and ontological anxieties. Demonstrating the intersection of the material and psychological aspects of securitization, it highlights how NATO has engaged in a security-oriented role in the Arctic and constructed Russia as an abject/other to reaffirm its “self” as a united, reliable, and values-driven collective defense alliance. This dual approach has reflected NATO’s reflexivity in balancing strategic and ontological needs to respond to evolving security dynamics. Analyzing NATO’s Summit Declarations, Strategic Concepts, and press releases on the Arctic and Russia, coupled with interviews with NATO officials, the article reveals three major themes the Alliance has used to securitize Russia as a threat: to the “Euro-Atlantic stability”, “the Arctic peace”, and “international law and values”.