Commentaries
Ukraine: the charge of the diplomatic brigade
Rather than its adroitness, the Ukrainian crisis highlights the failure of Russian strategy. Published in European Geostrategy, 06 March 2014.
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
And what will we do? Towards a European military strategy
Important decisions on Europe’s military capabilities are expected from the December 2013 European Council. But why? What do Europeans actually want to do with their capabilities? The answer to that […]
The EU and its strategic partners
Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso and Catherine Ashton have each identified strategic partnerships as a priority axis for their mandate, and most Member States agreed it should top the […]
The impact of the withdrawal from Afghanistan on Russia’s security
ISAF’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 will directly impact the wider region. Not only is there a risk of instability spilling over to Central Asia,but the drawdown will also accelerate […]
External publications
Strategic prudence: The European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is becoming an important forum for Russia, China and Central Asian states to discuss common concerns and develop joint initiatives. But it also reflects new […]
Commentaries
We are all Ukrainians
If Ukrainians are ready to die for freedom and democracy, under the EU banner, then we must respond to them loud and clear: ‘We are all Ukrainians’.