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.
External publications
Traditionally, major nuclear powers have developed and deployed strategic nuclear forces across three legs. This configuration, known as a nuclear triad, includes land-, sea-, and air-based strategic nuclear forces designed to […]
From 13 to 15 May 2026, US President Donald Trump paid a state visit to China. It was his second state visit to the country after his 2017 trip, and […]
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 […]
Commentaries
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
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
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. *******