Commentaries
Kill the Battlegroups
Article traduit en français sur la plateforme Le Rubicon. The outlines of the draft Strategic Compass that EU Defence Ministers discussed earlier this week are becoming clear. It is an […]
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
Challenges and priorities of the EU’s response to the situation in Afghanistan
The humanitarian, political, and security crisis that followed the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan is of global concern. The takeover of the Taliban is going to have […]
Commentaries
The coordination problem in European defence planning
First published at IISS. The European Union has taken several steps since 1999 to achieve its so-called ‘headline goal’ for defence coordination: the ability to create and deploy a […]
Commentaries
Come on, Biden, Let’s Talk!
The Organisation does not like this idea. You know what the Organisation expects from you. This is the message that NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg sends to certain European capitals about the […]
Seven steps to European Defence, Transatlantic Equilibrium, and Global Europe
Panta rhei – everything flows (Heraclitus). Once again, geopolitics is in transition, and a new crossroads is being approached. While we already knew that global leadership is beyond any single […]
Readiness as a Mission: Implications for Belgian Defence
Readiness reflects the ability of the armed forces to accomplish their assigned tasks in time. Like many European counterparts, Belgian Defence disposes of some high readiness assets, but is lacking […]