NATO College Foundation

Your energy bill starts at Bab-el-Mandeb.

A missile fired in Yemen. A tanker rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope. Twelve extra days at sea. That surcharge moves down the chain until it lands on a household bill in Berlin, Milan or Madrid.

Houthi attacks, a resurgence of Somali piracy, Russia's push for a naval foothold at Port Sudan, the Ethiopia–Somaliland dispute: none of these are isolated stories. Together, they're reshaping the security of a chokepoint that carries a huge share of the energy Europe depends on.

The World Bank puts container freight costs 141% above pre-crisis levels. ISPI estimates a Red Sea-scale shock could push European headline inflation up by as much as 1.8% in a year.

This carousel closes our three-part series on the Horn of Africa, and the picture it leaves us with is clear: instability in this corridor is not a niche risk, but a European one.

If you want to go beyond the headlines and understand what's really at stake, join us for the High-Level Workshop "Perspectives from the Horn of Africa": the event will bring together policymakers, energy and security experts, and analysts to unpack the region's instability in full, and what it means for Europe's energy security, supply chains, and the future of preventive diplomacy.

🗓️ 9 July | 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 NH Roma Centro, Via dei Gracchi 324, Rome
🥂 Networking cocktail reserved for participants

Link in bio for the Workshop Programme and the registration form.

📢 Welcome to the Weekly Recap of "NATO Affairs: Today's Overview"

🌍 Stay up to date with the latest developments, key decisions, and strategic moves shaping NATO's role in global security.

📰 This week in NATO:

🔷 Türkiye's Erdogan says NATO summit must emphasise unity and resilience
🔷 Nato chief says he is confident Burnham will stick to defence spending target
🔷 Allies strengthen Integrated Air and Missile Defence across the Baltics and Black Sea
🔷 NATO Secretary General in Berlin: Germany leads and Germany delivers

Stay informed as NATO continues to adapt and respond to emerging security challenges. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

👉🏻 Follow us for the latest updates on global security and NATO's strategic direction.

Perspectives from the Horn of Africa - Preventing Malign Actions | Vital Supply Lines

The Horn of Africa occupies an increasingly central position in global security, maritime trade, energy resilience, and international cooperation.

As geopolitical competition intensifies and hybrid threats continue to challenge critical supply routes across the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, understanding the region has become essential for policymakers, researchers, military professionals, and anyone interested in international security.

This workshop will bring together leading experts and practitioners to discuss:
• The evolving strategic importance of the Horn of Africa;
• Hybrid threats, crisis prevention, and maritime security;
• The role of NATO, the European Union, the African Union, and regional partners in strengthening cooperative security;
• African-led approaches to preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention.

Join us for a far-reaching discussion on one of the world's most consequential regions and be part of the conversation shaping tomorrow's security landscape.

Save the date!
🗓️ 9 July
⏰From 4:30pm until 8:30pm
🥂 Networking Cocktail from 7:45pm to 8:30pm
📍NH Roma Centro, Via dei Gracchi 324, Rome

At the link in bio you will find the registration form and the entire Workshop Programme

Italy's most ambitious foreign policy initiative in decades is reshaping how Europe engages with Africa.

The Mattei Plan (launched in January 2024) is a €5,5 billion, 4-year framework built on the radical premise of having a partnership of equals.

But what does that actually mean on the ground?

In Ethiopia alone, Italy is funding water security for 23.000 people in one of the continent's most drought-prone regions, supporting university reform, restoring health services in post-conflict Tigray, and climate-proofing the coffee supply chain that millions of smallholders depend on.

To understand how important this is, join the High-Level Conference “Perspectives from the Horn of Africa 2026”, on 9 July, on the Mattei Plan, preventive diplomacy, soft security in the Horn of Africa.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 👉 https://lnkd.in/dMgQ7SyU
𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 👉 https://lnkd.in/dg2YncfG

The latest issue of the Strategic South newsletter is now out.

Check your inbox to stay informed about key geopolitical and security dynamics that often remain under the radar.

In this new edition, you will also find the invitation to our nexr High-Level Workshop, "Perspectives from the Horn of Africa 2026".
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 👉 https://lnkd.in/dMgQ7SyU
𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 👉 https://lnkd.in/dg2YncfG

Don't miss out: visit our website to subscribe and stay up to date with our upcoming events, news, and newsletters.

Stay informed. Stay strategic.

📢 Welcome to the Weekly Recap of "NATO Affairs: Today's Overview"

🌍 Stay up to date with the latest developments, key decisions, and strategic moves shaping NATO's role in global security.

📰 This week in NATO:

🔷 NATO's Rutte says billions in new defense contracts will be announced at summit
🔷 Europe's five largest military powers meet ahead of key NATO summit with Ukraine in mind
🔷 NATO and the Republic of Korea discuss military cooperation
🔷 SG meets President Trump in Washington: “Europe is stepping up”

Stay informed as NATO continues to adapt and respond to emerging security challenges. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

👉🏻 Follow us for the latest updates on global security and NATO's strategic direction.

The Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb is 26 kilometres wide, and through it passes 15% of global trade, critical energy flows, and the maritime lifeline connecting Asia to Europe.
Most people couldn't place it on a map. That is precisely the problem.

The Horn of Africa is a strategic fault line that runs directly into NATO's southern flank, into European energy security, into the integrity of global supply chains. The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping were a demonstration of how quickly instability at this chokepoint translates into consequences felt everywhere: in fuel prices, in shipping costs, in the readiness of industrial supply lines that Allied deterrence depends on.

In this region China has built its first overseas military base; France, the United States, Japan, and Italy all maintain forces within a few kilometres of one another.

Understanding the Horn of Africa is fundamental for anyone serious about European security, global stability, or the future of multilateral cooperation.

Swipe through to test what you know.

And to understand how much this all matters, join us on the 9th of July for the High-Level Workshop “Perspectives from the Horn of Africa - Preventing Malign Actions. Vital Supply Lines”.

We will be discussing how NATO, the African Union, and the EU can jointly strengthen stability across the region, and presenting the results of AI-assisted preventive diplomacy tools developed by an all-African team, with Ethiopia as the case study.

You will find the Workshop Programme and the link for the registration at the link in bio!

Russia's influence in Africa is no longer defined solely by military deployments.

Since the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Moscow's African strategy has evolved into a dual-track approach: security assistance through Afrikansky Korpus and influence-building through African Initiative.

Rather than relying on overt propaganda, influence is increasingly cultivated through journalism training, health initiatives, cultural programmes and local civil society networks.

Cases in Burkina Faso and Mali illustrate how external narratives can become embedded within domestic information ecosystems, shaping perceptions long before a crisis becomes visible.

This raises an important strategic question for governments and international partners operating in the Sahel: when influence is built through schools, clinics and community networks, how do you counter it once it becomes locally owned and socially accepted?

Don’t miss Ellie Grace Montani's !
Read the full article - link in bio.

Mali’s decision to back Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara represents a broader geopolitical realignment taking shape across the Sahel and West Africa.

By withdrawing recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Bamako has strengthened Morocco’s position at a time when international support for the 2007 autonomy proposal appears to be gathering momentum. The move also highlights Algeria’s waning influence in a region increasingly shaped by new security partnerships and a growing emphasis on sovereignty.

Beyond politics, economics is playing a central role. Morocco’s efforts to provide landlocked Sahelian states with access to Atlantic ports, alongside wider connectivity projects, are offering tangible incentives that reinforce its diplomatic strategy.

Don’t miss Umberto Profazio's !
Read the full article - link in bio.

📢 Welcome to the Weekly Recap of "NATO Affairs: Today's Overview"

🌍 Stay up to date with the latest developments, key decisions, and strategic moves shaping NATO's role in global security.

📰 This week in NATO:

🔷 NATO agrees to modernise nuclear capabilities
🔷 Denmark will deploy battalion in Latvia
🔷 The Chair of the NATO Military Committee visits Ramstein Flag 2026

Stay informed as NATO continues to adapt and respond to emerging security challenges. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

👉🏻 Follow us for the latest updates on global security and NATO's strategic direction.