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Russia is mentioned 14 times in the new NATO strategic concept announced at the Madrid summit, and China 11 times.
The fact that these two countries, and a possible alliance between Moscow and Beijing, are at this point in the spotlight illustrates the future dangers that NATO countries see and for which they must imperatively prepare, says DW.
The eastern flank of the Alliance’s territory is strengthened in several ways: Poland and Romania gain value as essential pillars of NATO in Eastern Europe. Troops under direct US command will be deployed in the region to contain Russia. In addition, NATO now classifies the Western Balkans and the Black Sea as “strategically important” and remains open to other new members. The new strategic concept emphasizes that NATO can no longer realistically exclude the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of certain members of the Alliance. The document describes the abyss, on the edge of which Europeans are not the only ones to find themselves: Syria and Russia have already used chemical weapons in their recent history, China and Iran are secretly developing nuclear capabilities, and dangerous non-state actors continue to arm themselves.
Beyond this depressing overall picture described in the new strategic concept, there are a number of threats coming from within NATO states. The Alliance doesn’t seem to be taking them seriously at the moment. Some NATO countries have serious problems of loyalty to core Euro-Atlantic values. Political instability in some member countries is undermining the Alliance’s cohesion and the Balkans continues to wobble under the weight of historical hostilities in the region, experts recall. At its summit in Madrid, NATO has announced that it will increase the number of forces it has on high alert in Eastern Europe from 40,000 to over 300,000. This comes in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. There is still no official information on where these troops will be sent.
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