Dr Dimitrios Anagnostakis, a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations, has published an article on the cooperation between NATO and the European Union on countering hybrid threats.
‘“Taming the Storm” of Hybridity: The EU-NATO Relationship on Countering Hybrid Threats – From Functional Overlap to Functional Cooperation,’ is based on a project funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and has been published in the Defence Studies journal.
The article address a research gap in the literature on EU-NATO relations, particularly on why the EU and NATO have worked together rather than competed when dealing with hybrid threats – complex security challenges comprised of a mix of activity such as cyberattacks, information manipulation, election interference, and traditional military threat – including the establishment of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE).
While there have been numerous policy-driven papers published on this issue, so far there has been no theory-driven research on how the EU-NATO overlap in countering hybrid threats began, and why this overlap led to cooperation instead of conflict.
Dr Anagnostakis’ research identified three key reasons why EU-NATO relations and interactions surrounding countering hybrid threats have resulted in cooperation instead of rivalry. This research also highlighted the remarkable resilience and flexibility of the EU-NATO relationship over time, particularly in relation to hybrid threats.
‘“Taming the Storm” of Hybridity: The EU-NATO Relationship on Countering Hybrid Threats – From Functional Overlap to Functional Cooperation,’ is available to read here.