NATO Summit on Strategic Concept to commence in Madrid
A NATO summit will commence today in Madrid to decide on the alliance’s strategy for the coming decade.
NATO leaders and strategic partners are meeting to adopt the alliance’s updated Strategic Concept, in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Strategic Concept is one of NATO’s most central documents, serving as a roadmap for its further development. Apart from announcing additional measures to increase pressure on Russia, NATO members will likely also decide on initiatives tackling emerging threats, including the development of disruptive technologies, increasing threats in the cyber domain and the security impact of climate change. NATO will likely announce steps to reduce the alliance’s carbon footprint. Still, most attention will probably be on NATO’s plan to significantly increase its troop strength in Europe.
For the first time, leaders of NATO’s Asia-Pacific partners—Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea—will also attend the summit. This includes the newly-elected South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who wants to strengthen his country’s cooperation with the alliance. Given the Asia-Pacific leaders’ presence, NATO will likely also address China’s assertive regional policies, probably by announcing measures for closer security cooperation and information sharing. This will put pressure on China’s attempts at establishing its own security alliance with Pacific island states.
Download the Daily Brief app to stay ahead of geopolitics with daily, short, forward-looking analysis of geopolitical events before they hit the headlines.
