Alexander Mattelaer

Biography

Dr Alexander Mattelaer is a Senior Research Fellow at Egmont – the Royal Institute for International Relations - and a Professor in International Security at the VUB Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS). He is currently seconded to the Belgian Ministry of Defence, where he serves as Defence Policy Director.* Earlier he completed visiting stays at Harvard University, the College of Europe, and the Institute for National Strategic Studies of the National Defense University in Washington DC. He also served as chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, the hub of Belgian defence R&T policy and senior officer education.

(*The views expressed in his writings are solely his own, and do not constitute, nor should be construed as, an endorsement by the Belgian Ministry of Defence.)

Publications

• State of the Union Commentary: From political to indispensable Commission? Commentaries (12-09-2018)
• Rediscovering geography in NATO defence planning External publications (30-08-2018)
• If the EU is Trump’s Foe, the EU should address Trumpism within Europe Commentaries (17-07-2018)
• Which role for the Benelux post-Brexit? External publications (18-06-2018)
• Exploring the boundaries of conditionality in the EU European Policy Briefs (14-06-2018)
• Belgian Defence in 2018: Regeneration time? Security Policy Briefs (23-02-2018)
• A strong and united European core External publications (20-12-2017)
• Towards a Belgian position on Brexit: Actively reconciling national and European interests Egmont papers (24-11-2017)
• Integration vs Contestation? Belgian perspectives on the future of Europe Commentaries (30-06-2017)
• Strategic Autonomy and the Defence of Europe. Country Study: Belgium External publications (30-06-2017)
• New Pact for Europe – National Report of Belgium. Belgium and the EU : matching rhetoric and commitment External publications (9-05-2017)
• Sharing the burden of keeping Europe whole, free and at peace External publications (5-05-2017)
• The case for more Europe in the Alliance Commentaries (16-02-2017)
• Brexit as impetus for a new Europe? External publications (6-02-2017)
• Europe’s post-Brexit retrenchment Commentaries (30-01-2017)
• Why Belgium needs a Special Operations Command Security Policy Briefs (6-04-2016)
• Three plus one: a military level of ambition for Europeans Commentaries (13-03-2016)
• A crisis of democratic legitimacy? It’s about legitimation, stupid! European Policy Briefs (14-03-2014)
• State of defence in Europe: state of emergency? Egmont papers (21-11-2013)
• The Sahel crisis: where do European and African perspectives meet? External publications (16-03-2013)