THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE FORMATION OF THE FINANCIAL MECHANISM OF NATO ACTIVITIES

The article examines the theoretical and methodological basis of the financial mechanism of the North Atlantic Alliance, which is an international military organisation, its main activities and the purpose of its creation and functioning in the historical context. A projection of the principles of Kant's ‘eternal peace’ on the institutional design of NATO is developed. The principles of functioning of financial mechanisms in multinational security structures are analysed based on the concept of functionalism. Attention is focused on the mechanisms of interstate cooperation from the standpoint of neofunctionalism (theory of regional integration). The theoretical basis of the financial mechanism of NATO's activities is studied from the perspective of the neofunctional approach, in which effective resource management is seen as a catalyst for political consolidation and institutional deepening of the North Atlantic Alliance. The author characterises the Alliance's budgetary management as an element of the deeply rooted liberal order, within which states agree to partial transfer of powers to supranational structures in order to achieve collective security and resource allocation. The methodological apparatus of institutional economics, in particular, the concepts of O. Williamson and D. North, as providing a deep understanding of the interaction of formal and informal institutions in intergovernmental organisations, is studied. The financial mechanism of NATO is considered through the prism of the institutional approach in the context of enlargement. The influence of theoretical approaches to international relations on the formation of NATO's financial architecture is studied. A conceptual model of NATO financial architecture is proposed. It is clarified that NATO's financial mechanism in the context of enlargement involves not only a review of budget priorities, but also the transformation of the institutional architecture capable of supporting effective interaction between old and new members of the Alliance. From the perspective of the constructivist approach, it is determined that the financial structure of NATO is not only a reflection of the material interests of member states, but also the result of social processes that construct values, institutions and behavioural standards in the field of security.