Neutrality may still matter, but modern threats show that Malta must also be prepared. Sitting at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, the island remains exposed to nearby instability in Libya, rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the vulnerabilities of global trade routes.

Malta has long defined itself as neutral. Neutrality is written into the Constitution and has shaped foreign policy since the Cold War. Yet as security threats evolve, Europe changes, and NATO remains the dominant defence alliance on the continent, an uncomfortable question keeps surfacing: should Malta reconsider its stance and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?