NATO and the global colour line.

This article examines NATO's role in maintaining the global "colour line," a racialized division of the world conceptualized by W. E. B. Du Bois, through its self-perception and policy engagements, particularly in the Middle East. While NATO formally presents itself as a defensive alliance safeguarding the freedom and security of its member states, the article argues that its discourse and strategic priorities are premised on a racialized binary that associates values like democracy and human rights with the global North and views regions such as the Middle East as sources of instability and threats. This racialized framing is evident in NATO's historical foundations, its response to events like 9/11, and its ongoing partnerships and security concerns in the Middle East, which collectively reinforce a hierarchical global order. The article highlights the importance of analyzing race as a structuring principle in international relations to understand how NATO's narratives contribute to sustaining racialized global divisions beyond explicit geopolitical threats.