Reflecting on Belgium’s Strategic Orientations

Opportunities for a Niche-Based Approach in Defense and Foreign Policy

Edited by Edouard Xia, Marion Jacques, Julien Godfroid, Tanguy Struye de Swielande

International relations are becoming increasingly tense as the global security environment deteriorates. At the heart of these dynamics stands Belgium, host to both the EU and NATO, and deeply embedded in the UN system. Connected to the pulse of world affairs, Belgium feels every shockwave of today’s turbulent order. Against this backdrop, UCLouvain’s Center for International Crisis and Conflict Studies convened diplomats, military officials, and scholars to reflect on a central topic: exploring opportunities for a niche-based approach in defense and foreign policy. During a one-day conference, participants assessed the country’s strategic direction and explored the potential and pitfalls of specialization as a way forward. This book is the sum of the reflections they exchanged. Blending first-hand experience with academic analysis, the volume offers a comprehensive panorama of current challenges and provides unique perspectives on Belgium’s diplomatic and military orientations in an age of profound uncertainty.

Chapters by Egmont associates:

• Towards a Belgian Niche Foreign and Defense Policy
  Tanguy Struye de Swielande
• Specialization as Strategy
  Marc Thys
• The Future of Belgian Defense
  Wannes Verstraete

Published by PUL Presses Universitaires de Louvain

(Photo credit: Presses Universitaires de Louvain)