Commentaries
EU mutual assistance is more than defence
Activating the EU Mutual Assistance Clause has more than just military consequences; it requires strategy, planning, and institutions.
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
European Strategy, European Defence and the CSDP
The Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations have published a new report, entitled “European Strategy, European Defence and the CSDP”.
Commentaries
Escalate the diplomatic offensive in the war against Islamic State
We are at war with IS. Not since the attacks in Paris on Friday 13 November, but since 2014, when we decided on military intervention to halt their advance in […]
Commentaries
Aggressive, assertive and approximative: how Russia, China and Europe adapt to the changing global order
What is the common denominator between Russia’s interventions in Ukraine and Syria, and China’s flourishing strategic investment initiatives, which have grasped so much attention lately, such as the One Belt […]
Commentaries
The Greater Middle East and the Mediterranean five years from now
The crises in Europe’s neighbourhood seem to get worse by the day. The recent decision by Russia to intervene in Syria, supposedly to fight against DAESH has raised new questions […]
Commentaries
What Putin wants (in Syria)
Many observers are speculating about Putin’s strategy in Syria. This commentary argues that Vladimir Putin’s military intervention is driven by five key objectives, with domestic, local,