From one master of survival to another: a tardigrade’s plea for NATO2030
A microscopic creature whose size reaches that of a grain of rice at the utmost could teach NATO more survival lessons than one would think. The tardigrade has survived all […]
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 caliphate’s legacy and fringe extremists
In 2021, the jihadi threat will likely retain two main dimensions: one linked to the caliphate’s legacy; and the other stemming from fringe extremists. Altogether, these two configurations suggest that jihadi […]
No peace from corona: defining EU strategy for the 2020s
The coronavirus pandemic became one more dimension in which great power rivalry played out. How to position the EU in this interplay between the great powers clearly remains one of, […]
Commentaries
The Capitol and the Reichstag
When a sitting president refuses to accept the outcome of elections and incites his supporters to storm the parliament that is about to confirm his successor, that is a coup […]
Commentaries
EU-China: Drop the Masks, Back to Real Diplomacy
Diplomacy in 2020 was mostly about shifting the blame and creating distraction. China’s “mask diplomacy” sought to portray the People’s Republic as benign and effective. The world and, more importantly, […]
Russian Grand Strategy and how to handle it
In many Western chancelleries, there still is a lot of hesitation and bewilderment on how to deal with Russia. A first step in defining a coherent policy vis-a-vis Russia, is […]