La NATO e la Cina: dalla cooperative security alla nuova competizione globale

Over the past three decades, the Atlantic alliance has undergone a profound transformation, during which both NATO’s strategic posture and the perception of security threats have evolved. In the immediate period following the end of the Cold War, the dominant strategic vision within the Euro-Atlantic community was inspired by the concept of “cooperative security.” However, over the last two decades, NATO has responded to emerging threats by returning to a more traditional and competitive political-strategic approach. Within this framework of transformation, China has gradually assumed an increasingly prominent role in the Alliance’s reflection and strategic documents. This essay outlines two prevailing approaches through which NATO has addressed the threats posed by China: a minimalist approach, more focused on preserving the Eurocentric nature of the Alliance, and a maximalist approach that identifies China as one of the priorities for the security of NATO countries. To date, neither approach has unquestionably prevailed over the other; instead, the Alliance’s policies and strategic planning have followed an intermediate path, privileging pragmatism over rigid ideological choices.