Slovenia’s membership within NATO has been described as pragmatic; even further, Slovenia has been accused of being an unreliable partner within the alliance. This study examines the historical events which influenced Slovenia’s path to NATO membership and analyzes how this alliance was perceived among the generation who attained it and how it is perceived among young Slovenes today. This study is grounded in the interpretive paradigm since I am seeking to understand the underlying attitudes and perceptions of Slovene geopolitical imagination. It is believed that a deeper understanding of the attitudes and perceptions among Slovenes can help explain the incongruity between NATO membership and its alleged lack of commitment. A qualitative approach was chosen for this research. A thematic analysis of data obtained through interviews was conducted with the aid of Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. This study found that political pragmatism in Slovenia has contributed to the lack of commitment to the NATO alliance. Participants involved in the study expressed beliefs which revealed several of the main ingredients of Slovene pragmatism. Further, this study found that despite its NATO membership, there is a lack of understanding of the alliance (among decision-makers and the general population) and that Slovenes prefer neutral foreign policies.
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