Leiden University Student Repository

Gelder, Rick van (2024)

Who offers what? The troop contribution of post-communist states to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, 2007-2021

Master thesis | Political Science (MSc)

Since NATO expanded the alliance after the cold war with countries that were formerly part of the Soviet sphere of influence, the new allies have made significant and sometimes above average contributions to the military operations. This research presents two dimensions on which post-communist NATO members can be divided, and dives into the question how much these variables affect troop contribution to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan. By collecting data from different public sources, a clear visual and numerical image will be created of the troop contribution and modernisation of defence for four different clusters of countries. Results show that post-communist nations overall contribute more to these military operations, but that not every group is equal in terms of how many troops are contributed. Modernised armies are in general less likely to contribute troops, while countries that have a higher domestic and regional threat perception are more avid to fight for their NATO...Show moreSince NATO expanded the alliance after the cold war with countries that were formerly part of the Soviet sphere of influence, the new allies have made significant and sometimes above average contributions to the military operations. This research presents two dimensions on which post-communist NATO members can be divided, and dives into the question how much these variables affect troop contribution to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan. By collecting data from different public sources, a clear visual and numerical image will be created of the troop contribution and modernisation of defence for four different clusters of countries. Results show that post-communist nations overall contribute more to these military operations, but that not every group is equal in terms of how many troops are contributed. Modernised armies are in general less likely to contribute troops, while countries that have a higher domestic and regional threat perception are more avid to fight for their NATO security guarantee.Show less

threat perception, troop contribution, post communist, NATO, Afghanistan

Author

Gelder, Rick van

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

International Politics

Supervisors

Bakalov, I.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en