Vernon Press is pleased to announce that Yunus Emre Ozigci , author of 'NATO’s Meaning and Existence: Within the Interstate Intersubjectivity' , was recently featured on the New Books Network podcast.
In the interview, hosted by Piotr Pietrzak , Ozigci discusses the central ideas behind his newly published book, offering listeners an accessible introduction to his original study of NATO , international relations theory , phenomenology , and interstate intersubjectivity .
A New Philosophical Approach to NATO and International Relations
Published by Vernon Press in May 2026, 'NATO’s Meaning and Existence' offers a distinctive and ambitious contribution to the study of NATO’s identity , alliance politics , and the philosophical foundations of international relations .
Rather than approaching NATO only as a military or institutional structure, Ozigci examines it as an intersubjective phenomenon : a political community whose meaning is shaped through the perceptions, recognitions, interactions, and historical experiences of states.
The book argues that entities in the sphere of international relations — including states, alliances, events, and political environments — are not merely objective facts. They are also constituted through shared meanings, temporal transformations, and acts of recognition among international actors.
NATO Beyond Military Power
In the New Books Network episode, the discussion highlights one of the book’s most important contributions: its effort to rethink NATO’s existence beyond conventional accounts of military power and strategic policy .
Ozigci’s work explores how NATO has continued to exist through changing international environments, including the transition from bipolarity to unipolarity , the transformation of NATO-Russia relations, and the renewed geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine.
By drawing on phenomenology and phenomenological ontology , the book offers a framework for understanding how NATO’s identity has been repeatedly redefined across different historical moments.
Phenomenology, Intersubjectivity, and the Meaning of Alliances
A key strength of 'NATO’s Meaning and Existence' is its interdisciplinary method. The book brings together political science , international relations theory , and continental philosophy to examine how alliances emerge, endure, and transform.
The podcast introduces listeners to the book’s central claim: that studying NATO “as is” requires attention not only to material capabilities, policies, and documents, but also to the deeper structures of meaning through which states understand themselves, their counterparts, and their shared environment.
This makes the book especially relevant for scholars and students interested in NATO studies , security studies , IR theory , phenomenology , European politics , and global security .
About the Author
Yunus Emre Ozigci holds a PhD in Political Sciences from the Université Catholique de Louvain . His academic work focuses on international relations theory , phenomenology , the transformation of international structures, and the foreign policies of major global actors.
Since 2000, he has worked as a diplomat in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs , serving in Algeria, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, and Kenya, as well as in several directorates of the Ministry. His professional experience gives the book a rare combination of theoretical depth and diplomatic insight.
Listen to the Interview and Explore the Book
The New Books Network interview offers an engaging entry point into Ozigci’s study and its relevance to current debates about NATO’s future , international order , and the changing nature of interstate relations.
Readers interested in the philosophical foundations of international politics, the evolution of NATO, and the role of meaning in global affairs are encouraged to listen to the full episode and explore the book.
Listen to the podcast: New Books Network: Yunus Emre Ozigci on 'NATO’s Meaning and Existence'
Order the book: 'NATO’s Meaning and Existence: Within the Interstate Intersubjectivity'
