Commentaries
A defence strategy alone is not enough
Belgium is not in the habit of putting down major strategies for its defense policy. In the past, capacity plans were always drawn up, which in fact usually amounted to […]
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
Belgian Special Forces in the Sahel: a minimal footprint with maximal output?
In a shifting geopolitical context, the Belgian Defence has intensified its presence in the Sahel region and developed a new strategic military collaboration with Niger through Operation New Nero. This […]
Commentaries
Europe must not choose sides in a conflict between the United States and China
“Unlike the current Russian regime, China is generally more pragmatic.” According to Prof. Dr. Sven Biscop an opportunity that the European Union must seize. This article was first published in […]
Returnees in the Maghreb: Comparing policies on returning foreign terrorist fighters in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia
More than 5,000 North African volunteers travelled to Syria and Iraq in the aftermath of the ‘Arab Spring’, and about 2,000 joined jihadi groups in Libya. This report looks at […]
Power and rules in world politics: Von Clausewitz, Wilhelm II and Trump against Grotius, Wilson and Rietjens
There are two ways to engage in world politics: power or rules. This formula is too simple to be true of course. Rules without power is fragmented at best, and […]
Autonomy and Strategy: what should Europe want?
Europe wants autonomy and it wants a strategy. Semantically, of course, “wants” has a double meaning. First, it means “lacks”. Europe lacks autonomy and it lacks a strategy. The second […]