The EU Global Strategy and Defence: The challenge of thinking strategically about means
Since strategy is about connecting ends, ways and means, the means constrain the ends.
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
External publications
Spearheading European defence
Sven Biscop contributed to a report from Egmont’s sister institute, the Netherlands Institute for International Relations Clingendael, which assesses to what extent the provisions that were introduced with the Lisbon Treaty […]
External publications
The changing global governance landscape: China’s multipronged approach and the EU’s response
Disenchanted with the scale and slow pace of reforms in global governance, China has been active in utilising its increased economic and – by extension – political weight to shape […]
External publications
Migration – How CSDP can support
On 13 September, Egmont hosted a conference on the role of CSDP when dealing with migration, co-organized with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports, the Austrian Foreign Ministry, and […]
External publications
An ambitious defence follow-up for an ambitious EUGS
In a contribution to the latest issue of “Defence Matters”, the magazine of the European Defence Agency, Sven Biscop sets out his views on what the EU Global Strategy entails […]
External publications
Deradicaliseringsbeleid en de IS-generatie
De zomer van 2016 werd overschaduwd door de aanslagen in Frankrijk en Duitsland. IS en de IS-generatie lijken van strategie te veranderen: religieuze motieven lijken minder van belang en aanslagen […]