METAPHORICAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF EUROPEAN SECURITY: SHIELDS, FLANKS AND THE POLITICS OF READINESS IN EU AND NATO DISCOURSE
METAPHORICAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF EUROPEAN SECURITY: SHIELDS, FLANKS AND THE POLITICS OF READINESS IN EU AND NATO DISCOURSE

Summary/Abstract: This article examines how EU and NATO institutional discourse constructs European security through recurring spatial and protective metaphors and the temporal frame of readiness. Drawing on a corpus of ten English-language strategic documents and summit declarations published between 2022 and 2026, it combines conceptual metaphor theory, critical metaphor analysis, scenario analysis and qualitative discourse analysis with a normalised frequency comparison. The findings reveal institutional asymmetry: shield is concentrated in EU discourse, where it names defence, space and democratic initiatives, while flank is used more broadly by NATO to organise territorial exposure and collective defence. Readiness and preparedness connect anticipated threats with present investment, capability development and societal responsibility. Although EU and NATO discourse converges around protection, resilience and anticipation, NATO foregrounds operational defence, whereas the EU distributes security across military, democratic and societal domains. The article argues that this repertoire makes complex policies accessible while potentially normalising continuous vulnerability and preparedness as features of European governance.

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