Author(s): Andrei-Cristian MORARU
Publication name: Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
Publisher name: Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
Document type: Journal article
Publication date: June 30, 2026
Pagination: 77-106
Issue/ Volume: 1 (35)/2026
DOI: 10.66766/RISR.2026.1.03
Abstract:
This article examines how the Russian Federation has progressively redefined its
strategic positioning toward NATO and the Euro-Atlantic community across four key
periods: 1999-2000, 2008, 2014, and 2022. The aim is to identify patterns in how official
strategic documents portray NATO and the Euro-Atlantic community, with a focus on
threat perception, security discourse, and the legitimacy of force. The methodology
consists of qualitative content analysis of national security strategies, foreign policy
concepts, and military doctrines issued in each period, using a chronological approach.
Findings indicate a shift from a predominantly defensive posture to an increasingly
assertive and confrontational stance. In the early 2000s, NATO is depicted as a potential
challenge, but cooperation remains possible. By 2008 and especially after the war in
Georgia, the tone becomes more critical, portraying NATO as a destabilizing actor. The
annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 consolidate
this trend: Western actors are now described as direct adversaries, and the use of force is
legitimized by references to existential threats. The study highlights how Russia has
embedded strategic and ideological elements into its official doctrine, reinforcing a
discourse of defensive sovereignty while enabling offensive operations.
Keywords: Russia, NATO, strategic documents, threat perception, Euro-Atlantic
security.
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