Renegotiating the Transatlantic Bargain
The end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 have showcased the foreign policy and defence approach of the second Trump administration, not only in words, such as the releases […]
European defence / NATO
Publications
Commentaries
The Inertia of New Insights and the Inevitability of Taking Up Arms
Inertia is not only a physical phenomenon. It also applies to our own ideas, convictions, and worldviews. We are equally reluctant to change direction like any object in nature, unless […]
Commentaries
Russia, Europe and the Danger of Strategic Reassurance
European debates about Russia’s threat perception are often framed as a binary choice. On one side, alarmist voices warn of an imminent military danger requiring rapid mobilisation. On the other, […]
Commentaries
Navigating the Greenland Crisis: Europe’s Imperfect but Viable Options
The beginning of 2026 confronted Europe with a series of shocks that left little time to recover from the holiday lull. President Trump’s renewed rhetoric about acquiring Greenland, coming on […]
Commentaries
Belgian Defense Going Tropical: A Return in Focus to Africa
Twenty-eight Belgian paratroopers are jumping in a static line down on a small Gabonese island just outside of the capital Libreville, while para commandos are jumping out of three zodiac […]
Commentaries
Belgium’s Public Confrontation with Hybrid Threats: Lessons from Drone Incursions
On Tuesday 4 November 2025, Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken suddenly had to leave the studio of a popular talk show to take an urgent call: another drone incursion […]