On paper, the one just concluded by Madrid, was to be the summit of the reform (the so-called NATO 2030), the grand relaunch of the Western Collective Defense Alliance which only three years ago was liquidated by French President Emmanuel Macron, as an organization in a "brain-dead state".
A summit "hostage" of the Ukrainian crisis
But the summit was "taken hostage" by Ukrainian crisis which completely revolutionized the work agenda which also included a reflection on the numerous threats from the South in theMediterranean area enlarged due to the presence of still active pockets of Islamic fundamentalism. The fears of the Baltic countries and the Poles, united by the entry of two former European countries that have been neutral for centuries such as Sweden and Finlandeventually prevailed and prompted the Americans to focus almost entirely on the threat from the Eastern Front.
It is on that line very close to the border with Russia that the approximately 300 men of the NATO rapid reaction force are ready to position themselves, including 10 Italian soldiers (8 ready to move from Solbiate Olona and 2 already operational between Bulgaria and Romania).
China a threat? But with the EU only business
But there is another important one news: for the first time NATO goes beyond the European borders and looks to the Far East speaking of "systemic threat posed by China”. Of course, the recent launch of the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian (from the name that is anything but casual after the region facing Taiwan) with cutting-edge technologies comparable to floating cities with US Navy planes and armaments is certainly not a reassuring sign, but from here to consider China in the next few years a threat to European security there is.
For now, Chinese hegemonic ambitions are focused on the economic aspects, on the gigantic investments of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe and Africa. Not exactly a good sign for a country like Italy which finds itself unguarded to face threats coming from the southern shore of the Mediterranean due to the instability of some areas, the Libya al Sahel for migratory flows and possible terrorist infiltrations. Furthermore, there is no mention in the new strategic concept, not even of peacekeeping, training and institutional building operations such as the mission Born in Iraq currently under Italian command.
The Italian candidacy after Stoltenberg
It is therefore a fact that the large amount of men, means and economic resources of the Atlantic Alliance for the next few years will be absorbed almost entirely by the Eastern front. If we add to this the fact that for years now the secretary general of NATO has been an expression of Northern countries (first the Dane Rasmussen and now for another year the Norwegian Stoltenberg) all of this contributes to making the candidacy of a new general secretary of Southern Europe, or rather, as one would like of Italy.
Il Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi he remains one of the possible candidates for Stoltenberg's succession in a year even if it was Draghi himself a year ago al G7 in Cornwall to exclude an Italian candidacy (at that time the names that came up were those of Enrico Letta and Matteo Renzi).
The themes of the Ukrainian crisis and the new posture of NATO will in any case be at the center of Draghi's lightning trip to Ankara for a meeting with the president Tayyp Erdogan. That will be an opportunity to reiterate the apologies after the statements with which the prime minister called the Turkish president a "dictator". But also to clarify some aspects of the negotiations with Moscow on Ukraine and of the memorandum with NATO which would provide for the possibility of extradition from Sweden and Finland of members of the Kurdish Pkk party. And the green light from the US to send the F16s to Turkey (for the F35s we will have to wait a little longer).
Biden the director of NATO against Putin
In the end, in Madrid, it was the turn of US President Joe Biden to explain the new NATO strategy. “The last time NATO drew up a new strategy was 12 years ago – said Biden – at that time, Russia was defined as a partner, and China was not even mentioned. The world has changed a lot since then, and NATO is changing too. We have invited two new members to join NATO, a historic act - he added - Finland and Sweden are two countries with a long tradition of neutrality, which have chosen to join NATO. We are placing more ships in Spain, more air defenses in Italy and Germany. And on the eastern flank, a new permanent headquarters in Poland, an additional combat brigade in Romania, additional rotational deployments in the Baltics. Things change, to adapt to the world as it is today, and all this happens against the background of Russian aggression against Ukraine”. According to Biden, while Russia represents a "direct threat" to Europe, China challenges "the rules-based world order".
