The EU’s strategic partnerships with the BRIC: where’s the strategy
in BEPA Monthly Brief, issue 29, Sept. 2009, pp. 6-8. (Photo credit: Egmont Institute)
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
Afghanistan: Strategic war for Europeans, existential conflict for NATO
There is an urgent need to launch national debates (and a European debate) to define the strategic interest in Afghanistan. If we come to the conclusion that our security depends […]
EU’s strategic partnerships lack content
Effective multilateralism is a key principle of European Union foreign policy: only in co-operation with others can the EU’s objectives be achieved peacefully, notably with emerging powers such as Brazil, […]
Time for a European Union grand strategy
One may not be aware of it, but in its 2003 European Security Strategy (ESS) the E.U. has a grand strategy – but only a partial one. Grand strategy is […]
Don’t forget the forgotten conflict
Kristof Titeka, Joost Van Puijenbroeck and Koen Vlassenroot ask to the Belgian Foreign Minister, Mr Yves Leterme more attention to Conflict with the LRA rebels in Uganda, DR Congo, sudan and […]
External publications
A shared security strategy for a Euro-Atlantic partnership of equals
This is a decisive period for the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic community and the 34 member states that belong to either the European Union or NATO (or both). Traditional concerns—security, […]