ALLIANCES | Global Strategic Dialogue: AthenaLab and the Elcano Royal Institute Meet in Madrid

Between January 22 and 23, AthenaLab held a working agenda in Madrid with the Elcano Royal Institute (RIE), a partner institution since 2023, in a meeting focused on strategic analysis and the projection of joint initiatives.

The AthenaLab delegation was composed of Nicolás Ibáñez, chairman of the board, and Ignacio Mardones, head of International Institutional Relations, and included participation from diplomats of the Chilean Embassy in Spain, as well as representatives from the business and legal sectors. The sessions were conducted alongside senior researchers from the Elcano Royal Institute, who have extensive experience and a global perspective on the main challenges of the international system.

The sessions began with a general reflection on the international landscape and its projections toward 2026, led by Charles Powell, along with Áurea Moltó and Carlos Malamud, who provided an overview of the ongoing political, strategic, and geoeconomic transformations.

In this context, Félix Arteaga addressed the impacts of artificial intelligence and cyber defense, emphasizing the challenges these technologies pose for security, governance, and defense in a context of increasing competition among states and non-state actors.

The relationship between Europe and Latin America was another central theme of the meeting. Ignacio Molina, along with Ernesto Talvi and Carlos Malamud, analyzed the current state of the bi-regional relationship, with a particular emphasis on the EU-Mercosur Agreement and its political, economic, and strategic implications for both regions.

During the second day, Carlota García Encina presented the key points of the new U.S. Security Strategy, examining its effects on the international order and Latin America. Subsequently, along with Carlos Malamud, she delved into the situation in Venezuela, the political factor associated with a potential return of Donald Trump, and the strategic role of oil in that scenario.

The closing session was marked by an analysis of the competition between the United States and China and its effects on Latin America, led by Mario Esteban, who highlighted the strategic dilemmas facing the region in a context of increasing rivalry among major powers.

This meeting allowed for an in-depth analysis, comparative and prospective, combining European and Latin American perspectives, and advanced the planning of future joint activities in Chile and Spain, aimed at strengthening strategic dialogue, academic exchange, and institutional cooperation between AthenaLab and the Elcano Royal Institute.