Commentaries
Free rider no more? Belgium and the NATO Madrid Summit
When Paul-Henri Spaak signed the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, he did so full of confidence and pride. Today, however, the Belgian position in NATO is under great pressure. Our […]
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
The growing pains of Belgium’s armed forces
Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belgium’s military leadership was asking for reinvestment in the country’s fighting forces. Ghent University professor and Egmont director Sven Biscop explains why Belgium’s underfunded […]
The EU as a Soft Power Superpower: Why a Green Marshall Plan for the Sahel Is Imperative
This research paper argues that the European Union should roll out a European Green Marshall Plan for ecosystem restoration and local governance in the Sahel region, located between the Sahara […]
Theorizing Radicalization and Violent Extremism
An Interview with Rik Coolsaet The attacks on 9/11 and the ‘War on Terror’ have brought to the forefront problems previously either compartmentalized in specialized courses on intelligence and security […]
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 […]
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 […]