Administered Heroes: How Russia Governs Its Veterans
Russia’s veterans of the war in Ukraine are rapidly becoming a defining social and political force in the country, yet they remain among the most analytically misread phenomena in contemporary […]
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
Armenia: The Election Decided Less Than It Seems
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has won Armenia’s 7 June parliamentary election, and not narrowly. His Civil Contract party has taken just under half the vote, more than double its nearest […]
Commentaries
This Means War! Operationalising Art. 42.7 TEU
Activating Article 42.7 of the Treaty means that, we, all twenty-seven EU Member States, are at war. As talk of operationalising 42.7 has become fashionable, this must be absolutely clear. […]
Commentaries
Trump & Xi: A Balance of Power and Vulnerability
The United States and China are now evenly matched as great powers. Given where China is coming from, that can be seen as a gain for China. *******
The Euroclear Saga
The war triggered by Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only reshaped Europe’s security architecture; it has also exposed the strategic significance of financial infrastructures that had long operated in […]
External publications
Europe’s Supply Chain Security Dilemma
Beijing has become more explicit in weaponising trade dependencies through export controls, particularly in critical minerals and rare earth elements (REEs). Europe now faces a structural dilemma: how to reduce […]