Chapter 3 SPAIN IN THE WORLD: A COUNTRY WITH GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS This chapter analyses, from Spain’s geostrategic viewpoint, the national security challenges present in different regions of the world, identifying areas of special interest. I nterconnectivity is largely erasing borders. In a world where the proper use of global common spaces is key, Spain’s national security continues to be affected by its unique geostrategic situation, crucial for defining its priorities and for planning in this area. As a country with global aspirations, Spain is affected by everything that happens in all of the geographic regions and security-related thematic areas. Specifically, Spain’s status as a European and Mediterranean country determines the impor tance of these regions for its security, stability, and prosperity. Today, the fragmentation of the Mediterranean makes it more complicated for Spain to address this strategic priority, within which so many potential national 38 National Security Strategy 2017 Presidency of the Government