Commentaries
Trump and the triumph of unreason
“I am so attached to [the cause] in my heart, and I am so convinced that God our Saviour must embrace it as His own cause, that I cannot be […]
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
The dangerous geopolitics of Populism, and what NATO and the EU can do about it
Undemocratic governments are at risk of creating a geopolitical void in central Europe. By antagonizing fellow European states in NATO and the EU, at a time when the US is […]
Commentaries
Will Trump’s decision on Iran end Europe’s servility?
If anyone doubted the need for an autonomous European foreign policy, Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal must have convinced them. The EU and […]
What is it like to be a Non-Permanent member of the UN Security Council?
The UN Security Council undoubtedly is the most prominent body of the world organization’s institutional machinery. Through its key executive decision-making powers it addresses conflicts and crises which constitute threats […]
How to handle returning foreign fighters: policies and challenges
Returning foreign terrorist fighters constitute a threat to Europe, which should neither be underestimated nor overstated. European member states have developed a number of measures and instruments to deal with […]
External publications
EU Policies in the DRC: Misaligned Ambitions
This article is published in M. Kaldor, I. Rangelov and S. Selchow, eds., EU Global Strategy and Human Security. Rethinking Approaches to Conflict, Abingdon: Routledge, pp 85-102. This volume provides […]