The Center for International Security coordinates research conducted at the University on topics related to strategy, particularly foreign policy, defense policy, and intelligence. Following the end of the Cold War, the rise of the jihadist threat, the effects of globalization, the emergence of new spatial and cyber domains, and recent global trade tensions, the world has entered a new era in which the alliances, doctrines, and institutions that have formed the foundation of our national strategies now appear anachronistic. The Center was established with the aim of becoming a forum for reflection and discussion on the characteristics of the new international landscape.
The Center’s primary objective is to gain an understanding of the new international environment. Its priorities are to understand how the national strategies of the major world powers are evolving to adapt to new circumstances; to assess the effectiveness of existing international organizations; and to identify new challenges, risks, and threats—whether direct or arising from our international commitments.
The second objective is to analyze how these changes affect Spain’s security. The erosion of the Atlantic Alliance’s cohesion, the European Union’s inability to fully develop this dimension—exacerbated by the United Kingdom’s departure—and the growing instability in the Middle East and North Africa once again highlight the importance of the Iberian Peninsula’s strategic position, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.
The Center is joining the collective effort to understand the new environment and define the best possible strategy for defending national interests, drawing on the expertise of its own researchers as well as those from other institutions, both domestic and international.