The upcoming NATO Madrid Summit (29-30^th of June 2022) will be one of the most important in this decade: taking place at a critical juncture for Euro-Atlantic security, it will approve the New Strategic Concept, the document that shapes the next strategic directions of the Alliance and is second in importance only after the Atlantic Treaty.

For the first time four Pacific partners will be present at the Summit, as they were at the April Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels, indicating an increasing relevance of the partners across the globe.

In a fast-evolving international scenario, and a few days ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the event will gather 18 international specialists to discuss in-depth, over 3 panel discussions, some of today’s most critical issues: what are the strategic directions that will shape the future of international security? How to strengthen cooperative security in the MENA region and the Indo-Pacific? And how to effectively address emerging global challenges, including food security?

The first panel will address how to make the Alliance more politically relevant for a more effective role in regional and global scenarios. This implies tackling important themes: the effective political means to reconcile different interests across the Atlantic and, concretely, which yardsticks and division of labour are required within a shared security.

The second panel will consider the most sensible balance between different opportunities, challenges and threats: qualifying new global partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region and balancing them with those of the Southern Region, with the appropriate blend of deterrence, dialogue and stability projection, will be of paramount importance, especially considering the cooperative security paradigm.

The public-private relationship in geopolitics will be explored by the third and final panel. Food security is integral part of the emerging challenges that have been considered by the Alliance. This entails a complex web of collaboration to meet converging goals: supply chains’ resilience, fight against illegal trafficking and counterfeiting, and harm reduction in connected health risks. What are the scenarios and the role of the private sector in managing important aspects these challenges? What lessons learned and innovative approaches can be proposed, building upon the Covid-19 experience? How can the Alliance best harness this potential?

PARTNERS