Books
The Evolution of Counter-Terrorism Since 9/11
What is counter-terrorism? While the answer to this question may seem self-evident, it has become quite complicated to define the contours of a field that has expanded dramatically in the […]
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
Taming Techno-Nationalism: A Policy Agenda
In recent years, the Netherlands and other European countries have been confronted with attempts by the United States (US) and China to force or prevent the transfer of sensitive technologies. […]
Commentaries
AUKUS and the EU: A Snub for the Bloc?
The most surprising thing about AUKUS, the upgraded defence partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US, is the EU reaction. The Presidents of the Commission and the European Council […]
The Strategic Compass: Entering the Fray
The Strategic Compass for the EU’s security and defence policy, to be adopted in 2022, must generate immediate action. The best way of ensuring that is to prepare new capability […]
Commentaries
Elections in Russia – a measure for nothing or relevant after all?
Russians go to the ballot box on 17 to 19 September. Most commentators consider the election as a non- event as all indicators point to the continuation of the present […]
External publications
Introductory speeches at the colloquium on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights
These are two of the introductory speeches at the colloquium Human Rights in Pandemic Times Political Exceptionalism, Social Vulnerability & Restricted Freedoms held this week at the Egmont Institute in […]