Tanks versus Banks: Russian Military versus EU Geoeconomic Power
War is an instrument of policy. Those who lose sight of the policy objectives, or keep shifting them, rarely do well in war. The European Union and its Member States […]
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
Commentaries
A Russia Strategy Must Look South: The Caucasus Impacts Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean
In the current Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO and the EU would do well to recall the Boston speech of the great Belgian statesman, Paul-Henri Spaak, on 2 […]
Commentaries
Putin’s critical raw materials are a threat to EU economic security
As Russia gets ready to restrict the export of critical raw materials, the EU’s supply vulnerability will become evident. Possible countermeasures are well understood, but more urgency is required to […]
Putin Is Creating the Multipolar World He (Thought He) Wanted
Up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s and China’s worsening relations with the European Union and the United States meant that the world order was at risk of falling […]
Commentaries
For Russia, the Ukraine Front Stretches to the Mediterranean
Russia’s strategic line in the current war on Ukraine doesn’t stop at the Crimea as most maps depict, but goes all the way southwards to the Mediterranean. Maps are more […]
Commentaries
Russia Invades Ukraine: The Dangerous Weakness of a Military Superpower
What is an extra slice of Ukrainian territory to Russia? A war of aggression no longer fits in our European logic, but it does in that of President Putin. He […]