Commentaries
How the War in Ukraine Shapes the Multipolar World
Had China backed Russia like the EU and the US back Ukraine, that would have been a tipping point for international politics. The world would have fallen apart again in […]
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
What the Zeitgeist can Tell us About the Future of Terrorism
In the United States and across Europe, there is a broad recognition that right-wing extremism has become either the main terrorist threat, or at the very least a seriously growing concern. The racially motivated […]
Turkish Foreign Policy and the EU: An Everlasting Candidate Between Delusion and Realities
The relationship between Turkey and the European Union has never been easy. It is now affected by the activism of Ankara’s foreign policy, conducted in disregard of international law. Turkey […]
External publications
Rethinking Nuclear Deterrence: A European Perspective
Putin’s war against Ukraine has been accompanied by a long nuclear shadow. The blatant Russian attempt to coerce a neighbouring state by means of conventional military power and nuclear threats […]
Commentaries
The Unprofessional Russian Soldier
Stuck in the middle between past and future, the Russian army struggles with a manpower paradox as it is simultaneously too big and too small. It is too big to […]
The Russian Soldiers’ Question Revisited
The Russian authorities apply an “algorithm of lies”, the Russian armed forces have become a sealed organization, and tactical information about Russia’s war in Ukraine is fragmented and unreliable. Hence, […]