McNamara, Eoin Micheál, juhendajaGlidewell, Martin GregoryTartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkondTartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut2021-02-022021-02-022021http://hdl.handle.net/10062/71287Can illiberalism lead to problems for the durability of NATO? The objective of this thesis is to prove that illiberal states do not disrupt alliances, particularly the NATO alliance. I will compare competing hypotheses of alliance theory: the liberal explanation against the realist explanation. The hypothesis of this paper is that realist theory provides a better explanation to prove that alliances are not affected by illiberal states as long as they contribute to the security of the alliance. In order to investigate, I will conduct research through comparative case-based studies that analyze Polish and Turkish engagement with NATO. By investigating these relationships, I will find that the realist theory is better supported to these case states. In conclusion, alliances will endure because small states cannot secure themselves.engopenAccessAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/magistritöödPõhja-Atlandi Lepingu OrganisatsioonliberalismdemokraatiakoostööühendusedPoolaTürgiThesis