The Fire: The Offensive Meant to Decide the War
The Fire, the Ice, and the Fog: A Sublimation of the Russian Threat Now in its fourth year, Russia’s war on Ukraine has become more than a battlefield confrontation. It […]
Russia
Through its Focus on Russia, Egmont aims to establish an informal yet structured platform for regular exchanges among Belgian experts on Russia. The initiative addresses the full spectrum of political, economic, military, geopolitical, and societal dynamics in Russia. We convene a select group of experienced practitioners, analysts, and scholars with deep expertise on Russia in a series of closed-door meetings held approximately four times per year. Emphasis is placed on collegial dialogue, intellectual openness, and the rigorous exchange of perspectives. By combining longue durée analysis with real-time assessments, the initiative seeks to enhance policy-relevant reflection and strategic situational awareness for Belgian public institutions, in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The overarching objective is to create a trusted expert circle capable of generating nuanced, multidisciplinary insights into Russia as a strategic actor, while also contributing to a more coherent and informed Belgian and European approach.
Heads: Jan Balliauw and Dr Joris Van Bladel
Publications
From Syria to the Black Sea: Containing Russia, Partnering with Turkey?
The outcome of the Russo-Turkish power competition in Syria will impact the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This, in turn, will impact the outcome […]
Commentaries
The Ukraine Liberty Bond: Unlocking Frozen Assets Without Breaking the Rules
The EU has been debating how best to use the roughly €200-240 billion of Russian assets that are in EU jurisdictions, mainly Belgium and Luxembourg, to fund Ukraine-related expenditure. In […]
Commentaries
Trump’s Europe Policy: No longer Different from Russia and China?
The US and Europe are allies, or that is what the Europeans still wish to believe. That does not mean that they are not economic competitors at the same time, […]
Commentaries
The EU Ukraine Liberty Bond: Using the Whole of the €300 billion in Russian Assets in the EU Now
The EU has been debating how best to use the roughly €300 billion of Russian assets that are in EU jurisdictions to fund Ukraine-related expenditure. In the end, only the income […]
Commentaries
Shifting Shadows: A Closer Look at Putin’s Latest Government Reshuffle
On the night of Sunday, May 12, 2024, the political landscape in Russia underwent a remarkable shift as news broke of the replacement of the long-standing Minister of Defence, Sergei […]