Female peacekeepers’ added burden
Twenty years since the adoption of UNSC 1325 there is an almost unanimous call for an increased number of uniformed women in peace operations from policy makers and multilateral organizations. […]
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
New pact on migration: a balanced proposal to be further enhanced
Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council, has been credited with the idea according to which the Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has three key tasks facing […]
External publications
Battalions to brigades: the future of European defence
Enhancing the employability of Europe’s armies turns on the creation of permanent multinational force packages, with national brigades serving as the building blocks. Read this paper on Taylor & Francis: […]
The future of the Transatlantic Alliance: not without the European Union
The debate about the division of labor between the European Union (EU) and NATO has been ongoing ever since the former was created in 1993. Much more sensitive than the […]
Commentaries
Use connectivity to strengthen multilateral cooperation in the EU’s neighbourhood
To strengthen multilateralism in their own neighbourhood, Germany and the EU should pursue connectivity strategies with their Eastern and Southern neighbours. These could create the links between the EU’s neighbours […]
Challenges with security force assistance in Niger: Understanding local context and aligning interests
Since the attacks the 11th of September 2001 in the US, there has been a strong increase in security force assistance (SFA) to fragile states with the aim of professionalising […]