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.
1. The first responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens from harm and to provide them with an environment that induces confidence in the future. Europe as an […]
Published by the Royal Defence College (IRSD-KHID), Brussels in Sécurité & Stratégie, Paper n°82, March 2004. (Photo credit: Defence Images, Flickr)
Studia Diplomatica
-Globalization, nation-states, transnational corporations, international organizations, and international governance: the dynamics of the new international economy, Robert Gilpin -Globalisation and Europeanisation: complementary and contradictory trends, Reimund Seidelmann -L’Europe et la […]
External publications
in Fulvio Attinà & Rosa Rossi (eds.), European Neighbourhood Policy: Political, Economic and Social Issues. Catania, University of Catania, 2004, pp. 25-36. (Photo credit: Pixabay)
A security strategy is a policy-making tool which, on the basis of given values and interests, outlines long-term overall objectives to be achieved and the basic categories of instruments to […]
Studia Diplomatica
-China’s peaceful rise? by Jing Men POLITICAL ASPECTS -Une relation sino-européenne basée sur la coopération stratégique, Yi Wang -China’s rise and Northeast Asian security, Jing Men and Gustaaf Geeraerts -Human […]