In an increasingly volatile and contested international security environment, with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the growing systemic threat from China, and domestic turmoil in the member states’ own democracies, having clear goals and values is of the utmost importance for the West. An important part of coordinating common defense is the NATO strategic concept.
In this discussion, panelists Baiba Braže (Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Public Diplomacy), Prof Benedetta Berti (Head of Policy Planning in the Office of the Secretary General at NATO) and Eivind Vad Petersson (State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs) discuss:
-The challenges, capabilities and values that the NATO strategic concept should be guided by
-How to balance the ends, ways & means to realize the strategic ambition laid out in the strategic concept?
-How does the Strategic Concept communicate with the non-NATO world?
-Where will the NATO Strategic Concept take us in the future?
-What has changed in NATO in the year since the withdrawal from Afghanistan?
-How can NATO deal with similar crises as the Ukraine war in the future and protect non-NATO Euro-Atlantic countries?
-Strengthening NATO’s narrative of a rules-based international order
-Can we trust NATO?
Moderator: Julian Lindley-French, Chair & Founder of TAG – Geopolitics, Strategy and Innovation; Chairman of The Alphen Group
00:00 Introducing the topic & panelists
4:42 What challenges, capabilities & values should the NATO strategic concept be guided by? How do we balance the ends, ways & means to realize the necessary strategic ambition in the Strategic Concept?
5:37 Opening statement of Prof. Benedetta Berti
12:00 Baiba Braže: How the NATO Strategic Concept communicates with the world outside NATO 17:02 Eivind Vad Petersson: The Norwegian perspective on the Strategic Concept
24:55 What has changed in NATO in the year since the withdrawal from Afghanistan?
29:10 What should be the principle of organization in the future, to enable NATO to deal with threats outside of those relevant to Article 5?
29:55: Eivind Vad Petersson answers
31:41 Prof. Benedetta Berti joins & comments on “NATO overreach”
34:58 Baiba Braže’s comments
41:33 Georgia’s accession to NATO
47:20 How does NATO strengthen regional security?
48:55 Prof. Benedetta Berti’s closing remarks
52:54 Eivind Vad Petersson’s closing remarks
53:41 Baiba Braže’s closing remarks
55:35 Conclusion by Julian Lindley-French