DPC’s Valery Perry was on a panel at the NATO Defense College Foundation Conference, “Building bridges: diffusing hybrid threats for regional stability” in Rome on October 13, 2025. A number of interesting points were raised by all speakers, with some good questions coming from the audience.
In her remarks (available for viewing here), Dr. Perry tried to emphasize that the best way to protect against hybrid threats is through a recommitment to the principle of comprehensive security, grounded not solely in defense and warfare, but in accountable good governance, human rights, and the values that have been at the core of the transatlantic relationship for decades.
It’s becoming worrisome clear that in the face of rising authoritarian threats and an erosion of norms in many consolidated democracies, the notion of comprehensive security and the liberal/democratic peace is often forgotten. The sooner that the democratic world recognizes this, the sooner much needed momentum in support of values-based alliances can be enhanced.