Human security in the new Strategic Concept of NATO: linking values and practice
Human security in the new Strategic Concept of NATO: linking values and practice

Summary/Abstract: Starting with 2019, NATO began developing its approach to human security which culminated in its inclusion in the new Strategic Concept adopted at the 2022 Madrid Summit. As expected, the document drew attention of the scientific community which devoted extensive analysis to it but neglected a central point of NATO’s understanding of human security: the connection with NATO values and thus with liberal democracy as the political basis of the Alliance. This article addresses this gap by considering the contribution of human security to both the democratic resilience among NATO members and the strategic competition of the Alliance with authoritarian powers, as well as by analysing the reasons underpinning the emergence of NATO’s interest in human security. It is thus possible to further a better understanding of the new Strategic Concept and avoid an incomplete reading of future NATO developments in the area of human security.

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