Commentaries
Is terrorism contagious?
The multiplication of terrorist attacks in Europe over the past few months raises questions with regard to the diffusion of terrorism. This commentary argues that the Islamic State aims indeed […]
Europe in the World
In a world that is largely driven by competition and rivalry (and partnership, yet) between great powers, understanding the Grand Strategy of each of these powers is crucial. So is developing a Grand Strategy for the EU itself. An EU that acts as one, as one pole of the multipolar world on a par with the other powers, is the only way to safeguard the way of life that the Member States of the EU have chosen, based on democracy, the free market, and equality.
Power cannot be divided: a global player must have political, economic, as well as military power. To that end, the Europe in the World Programme analyses the diplomacy and defence of the US, China, and Russia, and of the EU, NATO, and their members. We also focus on geoeconomics, researching Open Strategic Autonomy and the Global Gateway as key EU instruments, as well as the geoeconomic approaches of the other powers.
Defence policy is our third main axis of research, with a particular focus on European defence and its interaction with NATO, but also on nuclear deterrence and the deterrence of hybrid threats. Throughout all three research axis, we devote special attention to the role of Belgium, including notably the development of its own National Security Strategy and diplomatic and military capabilities.
Publications
Commentaries
Understanding the current wave of terrorism
A number of terrorist attacks have struck Europe over the past months, triggering the impression of a ‘wave of terror’ among citizens. This commentary replaces the recent upscale of violence […]
Commentaries
Writings on NATO: One for the Fiction Department
General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has written a very readable thriller: 2017 – War with Russia – An Urgent Warning from Senior Military Command. A […]
The EU Global Strategy: from effective multilateralism to global governance that works?
Delivering effective global governance is amongst the five priorities of the European Union Global Strategy (EUGS). After its modest success in promoting its ‘effective multilateralism’ doctrine and rendering the world […]
The EU Global Strategy: realpolitik with European characteristics
On 28 June 2016 High Representative Federica Mogherini presented the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS) to the European Council. Many pundits will present it […]
External publications
A new agenda?
As EU heads of state and government are soon to debate the new European Union Global Strategy, Balazs Ujvari of the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations assesses the […]