You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on EU-NATO cooperation

on conjuring hybrid threats.

Propaganda wars, cyber attacks, resource scarcity, migratory pressures.

Modern security threats are no longer of military nature alone,

but involve a mix of challenges, actors and means, which make them increasingly complex.

The need to counter these hybrid threats has pushed the EU and NATO to strengthen their capabilities

and work closer together. Want to know more? Stay with us.

The concept of hybrid threat is not a new one, but it has gained more traction with recent

conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. Today, adversaries use ambiguity and hybrid tactics to achieve

their strategic objectives, blurring the traditional distinction between war and peace

and limiting

the opportunity for counter-attacks. In addition to intentional actions by state and non-state

actors, new threats deriving from natural developments are an increasing source of concern. In the near

future, extreme weather conditions and resource scarcity could provoke new conflicts between states over access to water

and food and drive millions into climate exodus that could destabilise entire continents.

Amidst this changing global security environment, the concept of hybrid threat embraces

the interconnected nature of today's challenges, the multiplicity of actors involved, and the

available instruments

from military forces to diplomacy, humanitarian aid to economic development and technology.

Because of their complexity, hybrid threats challenge the very nature of concepts like

sovereignty, legitimacy and legality, and enforcing them is not easy.

So how have two of the international organisations most concerned,

...