On May 27, the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) organized, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC), an international seminar on the Madrid Summit and the future of NATO with leading academics and professionals in the field of international security.
The objective of this international seminar was to present the current state of the transatlantic security link, and NATO’s positioning with respect to the permanent and emerging security challenges. These include the role of major powers such as Russia and China, the Ukraine crisis and the risks posed by nuclear proliferation, terrorism, hybrid threats, cybersecurity and new military technologies. All these issues will be on the agenda of the Summit of Heads of State and Government and the eighth Strategic Concept of the Alliance, which will be discussed and approved in Madrid.
The seminar also addressed Spain’s contribution to the Atlantic Alliance (this year marks the 40th anniversary of our country’s accession); examine the prospects for further enlargement of the Organization; and discuss the role of the United States in NATO and the synergies between NATO and the security dimension of the European Union.
Dr Tim Sweijs, the HCSS director of research, spoke at the second roundtable of the Madrid Summit:
14.00-15.30 – Between war and peace: increasingly blurred boundaries?
- Moderator: Jeffrey Michaels (Senior Researcher IEN, IBEI, Barcelona)
- Isabelle Duyvesteyn (Leiden University)
- Natividad Fernández Sola (Professor of International Public Law, University of Zaragoza)
- Tim Sweijs (The Hague Center for Strategic Studies)
- Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (Ambassador on Special Mission for Hybrid Threats and Cybersecurity)
