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This book explores the evolution and future relevance of NATO from the perspective of the member-states. Addressing the overarching question of the relevance of transatlantic relations in the 21st century, the volume has three core objectives. The first is to reinforce the view that international alliances serve not only an external-oriented goal, but also a domestic-oriented aim, which is to control others' behaviour. The second is to show that tensions amongst NATO allies have become more acute and, therefore, more dangerous. The third is to discuss current transatlantic relations through the adoption of a 'second image' perspective; that is, one that emphasizes the multiple vertical linkages that connect NATO to the politics and the policies of each ally. The chapters presented here are built on a dual approach: on the one hand, they look at the place the Alliance occupies in the domestic public debate and the strategic culture of specific member states; on the other, they analyze how each of these countries contributes to NATO's operations and what interests and visions they share for the Alliance's future. This book will be of much interest to students of NATO, international organisations, foreign policy and security studies in general.

This article explains the fundamental elements of the relationship between Spain and NATO in view of its 40th anniversary of membership of the Atlantic Alliance. This work, both in its historical reconstruction and its analysis of the challenges that characterise Spain's position in the organisation, aims to examine three key elements of this relationship: the ambiguous position of Spanish elites and society with respect to NATO membership and the relationship with the US; the legalistic and multilateral nature, with an explicit preference for the EU, of national defence policy; and the complexity of the 'Southern Flank', that is, the system of multiple and different threats to Spain's security from North Africa, where NATO struggles to provide a satisfactory response. The article concludes by underlining the unusual relevance, for a middle power like Spain, of domestic factors in determining both the country's international posture and the main aspects of its military doctrine.

Este artículo explica los elementos fundamentales de la relación entre España y la OTAN en vista de su 40 aniversario de pertenencia a la Alianza Atlántica. El texto, tanto en su reconstrucción histórica como en su análisis de los desafíos que caracterizan la postura española en la organización, pretende examinar tres elementos vertebradores de esta relación: la posición ambigua de las élites y la sociedad española respecto a la pertenencia a la OTAN y la relación con EEUU; la naturaleza legalista y multilateral, con un explicita preferencia por la UE, de la política de defensa nacional; y la complejidad del "frente sur", es decir, el sistema de múltiples y diferentes amenazas a la seguridad de España procedentes de norte de África, donde la OTAN tiene problemas para dar una respuesta satisfactoria. El artículo concluye subrayando la inusual relevancia, para una potencia media como España, de los factores domésticos para determinar tanto la postura internacional del país como los aspectos principales de su doctrina militar. ; This article explains the fundamental elements of the relationship between Spain and NATO in view of its 40th anniversary of membership of the Atlantic Alliance. This work, both in its historical reconstruction and its analysis of the challenges that characterise Spain's position in the organisation, aims to examine three key elements of this relationship: the ambiguous position of Spanish elites and society with respect to NATO membership and the relationship with the US; the legalistic and multilateral nature, with an explicit preference for the EU, of national defence policy; and the complexity of the 'Southern Flank', that is, the system of multiple and different threats to Spain's security from North Africa, where NATO struggles to provide a satisfactory response. The article concludes by underlining the unusual relevance, for a middle power like Spain, of domestic factors in determining both the country's international posture and the main aspects of its military doctrine.