Commentaries
Thou shalt not arm those who cannot win
In this article, Sven Biscop argues that Ukraine should not be armed by Western powers for fear of escalating the crisis. He makes a plea for a diplomatic resolution to […]
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
The future of European Geostrategy
Daniel Fiott draws conclusions from the lecture series on the future of European geostrategy, which Egmont and the Institute for European Studies of the VUB organized last fall. All 10 […]
Commentaries
The Belgian army: soon to be a gendarmerie?
Soldiers in the street are not the answer to terrorism, but if Belgium does not invest more in defence, that may be all its armed forces remain capable of.
Studia Diplomatica
Vol. LXVI, Issue 4 (2013)
Articles Time to go home? The EU’s legacy and future options in Afghanistan by Edward Burke Identity as a framework for alternative regionalism? An examination of the organisation of Islamic […]
Commentaries
Get rid of reassurance
In this article, Sven Biscop makes a strong plea for Europeans to get rid of the mind-set of dependence and reassurance and to take charge of stabilising their own neighbourhood.
External publications
Still on the defensive: European military integration in 2015
In his contribution to the Jahresvorschau 2015 of the Austrian Ministry of Defence Sven Biscop looks forward to what 2015 might bring in terms of defence cooperation between Europeans.