From Buffer to Frontier: Ukraine and the EU
In June 2022, the European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine. A strong political statement, which was welcomed as such in Kyiv. But for a country at war, symbols do […]
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
Hybrid Warfare: Attribution is Key to Deterrence
As Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine grinds on, it is likely that the intensity and frequency of hybrid attacks against western democracies will increase, targeting a host of vital functions, […]
Commentaries
Visit Taiwan!
I will be honest: if my husband weren’t Taiwanese, I would not go on holiday to Taiwan every year. Yet after more than ten years of marriage and almost as […]
Outspokenly Unspoken: The Chinese People’s ‘White Paper Revolution’
A devastating fire in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang autonomous region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 24 November 2022, caused the first large-scale nation-wide protests […]
Commentaries
The New US Arctic Strategy. Welcome back, America!
On 7 October 2022, the US released its National Strategy for the Arctic Region, a welcome, important new policy. It marks a strong and clarifying shift in the US’s focus […]
Commentaries
What news from the Ukrainian front? A net assessment
The ongoing bombing of Ukraine may create the impression that the war has become hopeless. In addition, the economic and political consequences are making themselves increasingly felt everywhere.