Madrid Summit in about a hundred words

With the NATO Summit about to start, both transatlantic and global security has never been more precarious. What are your expectations and what do you think will be the important outcomes to be derived from the Madrid Summit? 

Dr. Matthew Rhodes
Professor of National Security Studies, George C. Marshall Center

 

Together with the preceding meetings of EU and G-7 leaders, NATO’s Madrid summit marks what Churchill might have called “the end of the beginning” of Euroatlantic response to Russia’s escalated aggression against Ukraine. As such, Allies must address both the ongoing war of aggression on their doorstep and the longer-term threats highlighted in the NATO 2030 report. Under the umbrella of the new Strategic Concept, they should take tangible steps to accelerate assistance to Ukraine, strengthen defense and deterrence along NATO’s eastern flank, enhance coordination on emerging technologies and China, and reinforce Alliance-wide resilience.

The opinions expressed by Dr. Rhodes are solely the personal views of the author.

Katarina Kertysova

Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network (ELN),

NATO 2030 Young Leader

This will be NATO’s most important summit since at least 9/11 and it will be heavily shaped and dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the release of the new Strategic Concept, a radical change in NATO’s posture is expected to be ratified. There is hope that the Summit might result in a breakthrough in negotiations with Turkey regarding Swedish and Finnish applications to join NATO. As regards NATO’s environmental agenda, NATO is set to deliver its first Climate Change and Security Progress Report in Madrid. Perhaps we might even see the release of the military emissions mapping methodology, which has been under development.

Roger Hilton

Media Presenter and Defence Fellow

The time for half measures has passed, requiring NATO to exit the Summit as the ultimate Swiss army knife for its 30 Allies. Although Russia’s military adventurism on the continent has justifiably occupied the attention of policy makers, it would be a mistake to deprioritize a groundswell of other challenges moving forward. NATO has taken positive steps to address issues like climate security, geoeconomics, and strengthening civil-military relations that should be crystallized in the new Strategic Concept. Being able to overcome multiple crises simultaneously will be the decisive future factor determining winners and losers.