The Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations is hiring a Research Fellow on Geoeconomics for their Europe in the World […]
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Category: Egmont
“Relations between the EU and the UK”, Jim Cloos (Egmont, Belgium)
It has been remarkable to see and hear the gracious messages of condolences from EU leaders on the death of […]
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“When founding member states look at the future of Europe: Benelux countries’ contribution to the COFOE”, Benjamin Bodson & Ward Den Dooven (Egmont, Belgium)
This article highlights key features of the Benelux countries’ experiences with the COFOE and provides an outlook on their perspective […]
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“Security Force Assistance in the Sahel is meddling with borders”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
Encompassing a range of external actors, numerous Security Force Assistance initiatives in the Sahel seek to improve how local security […]
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“Europe’s Energy and Resource Challenge. The Arctic Is Part of the Solution.”, Marie-Anne Coninsx and Karen van Loon (Egmont, Belgium)
The EU’s increased climate ambitions require unprecedented growth in renewable energy and a diversified supply of critical raw materials. Building […]
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“The New Force Model: NATO’s European Army?”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
At the June 2022 Madrid Summit, NATO leaders gave the green light to transition to a New Force Model (NFM) […]
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“The impact of security force assistance in Niger: meddling with borders”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
How does Security Force Assistance (SFA) impact Niger’s security sector and beyond? I draw on extensive fieldwork in Niger and […]
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“Syria, the Middle East and the War in Ukraine”, Marc Otte (Egmont, Belgium)
The war in Ukraine has a wide impact in its neighbourhood and beyond. The Middle East is no exception, including […]
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“Stabilizing the European Continent: Reflections on the Future of EU Enlargement”, Jean De Ruyt (Egmont, Belgium)
Since the decision to accept Croatia as a candidate member in 2011, the debate in the European Union about its […]
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Public Debate: “Next Steps in the EU Response to Russian Aggression: Building Unity from Diversity”, October 10
In building a common response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has had to overcome […]
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Call for Applications: “The 2022 Global Strategy PhD Prize”, Deadline October 1 (Egmont, Belgium)
The Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) are inviting submissions for […]
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“Russian Spring 2022 Recruitment Cycle: Putin’s Camouflaged Referendum?”, Joris Van Bladel (Egmont, Belgium)
In May 2022, Egmont published the Paper 116 entitled The Russian Soldiers’ Question Revisited, in which they suggested, “The current […]
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“Balancing Conventional and Hybrid Threats in (Future) State Competition”, Pieter Balcaen and Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
Much attention has been drawn in latest years to the increasing challenges posed by ‘hybrid threats’, and the question how […]
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“Al-Shabab in Mozambique: Taking Stock of an Insurgency Under Cover”, Tom Van Rentergem (Egmont, Belgium)
Since the first attack in October 2017, Mozambique has been confronted with an extremist insurgency called Ansar Al-Sunna Wa Jamma […]
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“Is Europe Serious About Defense?”, Alexander Mattelaer (Egmont, Belgium)
Slowly but surely Europeans are getting serious about defense. Military expenditure is trending upward, readiness is being rebuilt, and collective […]
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“Free rider no more? Belgium and the NATO Madrid Summit”, Alexander Mattelaer (Egmont, Belgium)
When Paul-Henri Spaak signed the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, he did so full of confidence and pride. Today, however, […]
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“The EU as a Soft Power Superpower: Why a Green Marshall Plan for the Sahel Is Imperative”, Friso Stevens and Dorith Kool (Egmont, Belgium)
This research paper argues that the European Union should roll out a European Green Marshall Plan for ecosystem restoration and […]
Read moreTrans European Policy Studies Association Launches Book on Russia and the Future of Europe
TEPSA continues to provide excellent analysis of politicalattitudes and trends across the EU27 and beyond BRUSSELS, 13/07/2022: The latest book […]
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Conference: “Algeria-Belgium: a Shared Memory”, July 6 (Egmont, Belgium)
This conference as part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence will take place at the Egmont Palace […]
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“Beyond the Brussels Effect: Supporting the International Case for a Value-based Digital Market”, Susanna Sprague (Egmont, Belgium)
Building a strong European Single Market represents a major effort and challenge to the European Union. It must encompass and […]
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“Europe Day 2022: End of the Conference on the Future of Europe but the beginning of a Europe for all Europeans?”, Ward Den Dooven (Egmont, Belgium)
On Europe Day (May 9th), the final report of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) was presented to […]
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“European Council Conclusions: A Powerful Tool”, Jim Cloos (Egmont, Belgium)
Ever since its creation in 1974, the European Council has dominated the EU agenda, even though at first lacking any […]
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“How the War in Ukraine Shapes the Multipolar World”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Had China backed Russia like the EU and the US back Ukraine, that would have been a tipping point for […]
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“What the Zeitgeist can Tell us About the Future of Terrorism”, Rik Coolsaet and Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
In the United States and across Europe, there is a broad recognition that right-wing extremism has become either the main […]
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“Turkish Foreign Policy and the EU: An Everlasting Candidate Between Delusion and Realities”, Jean-François Drevet (Egmont, Belgium)
The relationship between Turkey and the European Union has never been easy. It is now affected by the activism of […]
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Online Policy Dialogue: “The EU’s response to Ukrainian refugees three months on”, June 3 (Egmont, Belgium)
Precisely three months after the activation of the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), this online Policy Dialogue will take stock […]
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Marie-Anne Coninsx has joined the Board of Directors of the International Polar Foundation (Egmont, Belgium)
Marie-Anne Coninsx joined the Egmont Institute in January 2022 as a Senior Associate Fellow in the European Affairs programme. She […]
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The Egmont Institute welcomes a new colleague (Egmont, Belgium)
Ward Den Dooven first joined the Egmont Institute in 2021 as a Research Trainee, and is now an Associate Fellow […]
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“Preventing the Critical Minerals Crisis”, Tobias Gehrke and Mart Smekens (Egmont, Belgium)
From fighting climate change to limiting dependencies on systemic rivals – radically shifting towards a green economy has become a […]
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“EU Open Strategic Autonomy and the Trappings of Geoeconomics”, Tobias Gehrke (Egmont, Belgium)
The EU’s new trade strategy promises to advance open strategic autonomy that is to balance the benefits of economic interdependence […]
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“From “Peacekept” to Peacekeeper: Seeking International Status by Narrating New Identities”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
This article examines how post-conflict states attempt to increase international status by transforming their identities from “peacekept” to “peacekeepers.” It […]
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“The Unprofessional Russian Soldier”, Joris Van Bladel (Egmont, Belgium)
Stuck in the middle between past and future, the Russian army struggles with a manpower paradox as it is simultaneously […]
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“The Russian Soldiers’ Question Revisited”, Joris Van Bladel (Egmont, Belgium)
The Russian authorities apply an “algorithm of lies”, the Russian armed forces have become a sealed organization, and tactical information […]
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“The Intervention Question: Lessons to Learn from Europe’s Military Presence in the Sahel”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
The Takuba Task Force, set up in March 2020, is a coalition of European special forces units with the aim […]
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“War Aims”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Faced with the brutality of Russia’s war, the emotional urge to do more to help Ukraine is fully understandable. But […]
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“Reserved Seats and Cooptation in Burundi (2000–2020)”, Stef Vandeginste (Egmont, Belgium)
Using a lifecycle perspective, this paper analyzes the use of reserved seats and the evolution of cooptation norms and practices […]
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“What Are the International Military Options for the Sahel?”, Nina Wilén and Paul D. Williams (Egmont, Belgium)
For the last decade, a unique ecosystem of external forces has deployed over 21,000 uniformed personnel across the Sahel to […]
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“The World Order Holds – For Now”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Does the Russian invasion of Ukraine herald the end of the world order? The same was said in 2008, when […]
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“Tanks versus Banks: Russian Military versus EU Geoeconomic Power”, Sven Biscop, Tobias Gehrke and Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
War is an instrument of policy. Those who lose sight of the policy objectives, or keep shifting them, rarely do […]
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“A European Defence Summit in May 2022: From Compass to Capabilities”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
By launching a war against Ukraine, right on the borders of the European Union, Russia has unleashed the strongest push […]
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“From Russia With Love: Brussels At The Center Of Foreign Intelligence Activities”, Tom Van Rentergem (Egmont, Belgium)
The time has come for Belgium to significantly strengthen its counterintelligence capabilities, as the Russian war against Ukraine will challenge […]
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Conference: “Polarising rhetoric as a vector of radicalisation”, May 12 (Egmont, Belgium)
The fight against extremism (in all its forms) is a long-term task, which requires close and effective collaboration between different […]
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“A Brussels Declaration for an Ever Closer Union”, Jo Coelmont (Egmont, Belgium)
What is valuable, is vulnerable. So it is for peace, democracy, and the ability to lead the good life. They […]
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“Protecting Civilians from Those Who Should Protect Them”, Delina Goxho (Egmont, Belgium)
As violent attacks targeting civilians in the Sahel region of West Africa are mounting, allegations of abuses perpetrated by Sahelian […]
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“The Arctic, a new front for great power conflict?”, Berk Vindevogel (Egmont, Belgium)
Since 2014, public debate in Europe has focused almost exclusively on what Russia would do on its western flank and […]
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“Who’s Been Making “African Solutions”? Mapping Membership Patterns in the African Union’s Peace and Security Council”, Nina Wilén and Paul D. Williams (Egmont, Belgium)
This year marks the 20th anniversary since the establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union, […]
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“Mobilizing Against Russia? Some Reflections on the Security Deadlock Called Ukraine”, Joris Van Bladel (Egmont, Belgium)
No event exists beyond the media. This is also the case with the current Russian-Ukraine war. Daily, we are flooded […]
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“Never waste a crisis: The war on Ukraine as a catalyst in the Balkans”, Ilana Bet-El (Egmont, Belgium)
“The difficulties and the wounds of the past have to be overcome in order to build a better future for […]
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“A Russia Strategy Must Look South: The Caucasus Impacts Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean”, Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
In the current Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO and the EU would do well to recall the Boston […]
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The Egmont Institute welcomes two new colleagues (Egmont, Belgium)
Peter Bosch joined the Egmont Institute in March 2022 as a Senior Associate Fellow in the European Affairs programme. His […]
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“Paving the way for a meaningful EU Year of Youth 2022”, Marcel Muraille (Egmont, Belgium)
As the pandemic eases, the EU has decided to dedicate 2022 to young people. But this opportunity should not aim […]
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“After War: the Backlash against Women”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
Many remember Laura Bush’s famous speech in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent war in Afghanistan, about how […]
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“When things fall apart: France’s withdrawal from Mali”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
When things fall apart you usually take a step back to look at what went wrong and to learn from […]
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“Conference on the Future of Europe: a glimpse into the future of participatory democracy?”, Ward Den Dooven (Egmont, Belgium)
The Conference on the Future of Europe had its official start on 9 May 2021 and the process has brought […]
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“Putin’s critical raw materials are a threat to EU economic security”, Tobias Gehrke (Egmont, Belgium)
The financial and economic war the West has been unleashing onto Russia in response to Putin’s murderous assault on Ukraine […]
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“The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement after Ukraine’s EU membership application: still fit for purpose”, Guillaume Van der Loo and Peter Van Elsuwege (Egmont Belgium)
In an extraordinary session of the European Parliament on 1 March 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested from a bunker […]
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“Putin Is Creating the Multipolar World He (Thought He) Wanted”, Bart Dessein, Jasper Roctus and Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s and China’s worsening relations with the European Union and the United States […]
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“For Russia, the Ukraine Front Stretches to the Mediterranean”, Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
Russia’s strategic line in the current war on Ukraine doesn’t stop at the Crimea as most maps depict, but goes […]
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“Russia Invades Ukraine: The Dangerous Weakness of a Military Superpower”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
What is an extra slice of Ukrainian territory to Russia? A war of aggression no longer fits in our European […]
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“Belgian National Security Strategy” (Egmont, Belgium)
Egmont Institute is proud to have contributed to the elaboration of the first Belgian National Security Strategy. The Institute launched […]
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75 Years of Egmont (Egmont, Belgium)
The Egmont Institute will celebrate its 75th anniversary during 2022. On this occasion, we are planning a range of activities […]
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International Women’s Day: Read our Top 5 Publications
To mark International Women’s Day we are showcasing the best publications from the last year on the topic. Throughout the […]
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Egmont welcomes a new colleague (Egmont, Belgium)
Sarah Haber joined the Egmont Institute in February 2022 as a Trainee Project Assistant for the Education & Training Programme […]
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“What if the Helsinki spirit was revived by climate change?”, Vadim Kononenko (Egmont, Belgium)
In the context of the current Russia-West crisis, there are increasing calls for a new kind of agreement, which should […]
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“The future of the Arctic region: what is at stake for Belgium?”, Alexander Mattelaer, Frank Arnauts and Marie-Anne Coninsx (Egmont, Belgium)
The Arctic region is undergoing dramatic changes with multiple implications for the region and well-beyond, with profound geo-economic and geopolitical […]
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“African Peacekeeping”, Jonathan Fisher and Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
The book is framed around two central arguments. The first is the importance of emphasising and understanding historical legacies and […]
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“Time for Europe to stand up to Putin”, Alexander Mattelaer (Egmont, Belgium)
This commentary was originally published in January 2022. In recent weeks, Putin has been moving around his pieces in the […]
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“Is Putin Winning, or Is He Trying not to Lose?”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Nobody is in doubt, if anybody ever was, that Russia remains a great power. That much the tense stand-off over […]
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“Facing a pandemic: African armies and the fight against COVID-19”, Anne-Laure Mahé and Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
The goal of this report is to empirically study the domestic deployment of militaries to manage the pandemic on the […]
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“The Old is Dying and The New Cannot Be Born (Yet?)”, Bienvenu Mukungilwa, Christian Chiza and Hans Hoebeke (Egmont, Belgium)
During the past two decades, Security Sector Reform (SSR) has been an important and visible part of international support for […]
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“Hybrid Warfare Is not Synonymous with Cyber: The Threat of Influence Operations”, Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
The recent cyber-attack on Ukraine’s governmental websites, widely attributed to Russia, has reinforced the widely held perception equating Hybrid Warfare […]
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Webinar: “2023 Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: What Lessons have been Learned from the Previous 2018 Election Cycle”, February 23 (Egmont, Belgium)
The European Network for Central Africa (EurAc) and the Royal Egmont Institute for International Relations are pleased to invite you […]
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Seminar: “Think-Tank Platform National Security”, February 3 (Egmont, Belgium)
On 1 December 2021, the National Security Council adopted Belgium’s first National Security Strategy (NSS). During the drafting process, Egmont, […]
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Three new Researchers join Egmont (Egmont, Belgium)
Marie-Anne Coninsx was the first Ambassador at Large for the Arctic of the European Union (EU) from September 2017 to […]
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“Euro-Atlantic Concerns regarding a US “Sole Purpose” Policy”, Alexander Mattelaer (Egmont, Belgium)
The Belgian position on nuclear policy questions is generally framed as a dual track approach combining credible deterrence with the […]
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“Strategic autonomy: Not without integration”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
One dimension of strategic autonomy has been firmly decided upon since the EU created its Common Security and Defence Policy […]
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“Inclusion is not enough to achieve gender and racial equality in global peace and security”, Marsha Henry at al. (Egmont, Belgium)
The last twenty years have brought about a significant increase in the awareness of war practices that harm women, including […]
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“Ukraine: The Price of Stability”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The first question in the ongoing crisis about Ukraine is not “What will Putin do?”, but “What do we want?” […]
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“Post-Cotonou EU-Burundi relations: the need to maintain international pressure to tackle ongoing human rights violations”, Camille Martin (Egmont, Belgium)
Since its independence, Burundi has been the theatre of violence and human rights violations that have left the population severely […]
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WATCH: European Solidarity in Action | #EuropeChats Episode 8
In this special episode of EuropeChats, we are joined by Prof. Michael Kaeding. Michael is Jean Monnet Chair ad personam […]
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“Geopolitical impact of the US exit from Afghanistan on the conflict in Syria and in the Middle East”, Marc Otte (Egmont, Belgium)
The US final exit from Afghanistan and the trouble it created among allies, mainly because of the conditions under which […]
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“Come on, Biden, Let’s Talk!”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The Organisation does not like this idea. You know what the Organisation expects from you. This is the message that […]
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“Seven steps to European Defence, Transatlantic Equilibrium, and Global Europe”, Jo Coelmont (Egmont, Belgium)
Panta rhei – everything flows (Heraclitus). Once again, geopolitics is in transition, and a new crossroads is being approached. While […]
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Call for Applications: “The Strategic Compass of the EU after the ‘strategic dialogue’:an attempt to re-territorialize European security?”, Deadline October 31 (Egmont, Belgium)
Over the past two years, the CSDP political debate has focused mainly on the Strategic Compass (SC), a tool that, […]
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“Corruption in the Congolese Army: Three Lessons for Modern Democracies”, Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka, Koen Vlassenroot (Egmont, Belgium)
During his state visit to Ituri, in June 2021, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi deplored the high levels of corruption within […]
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“The Evolution of Counter-Terrorism Since 9/11”, Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
What is counter-terrorism? While the answer to this question may seem self-evident, it has become quite complicated to define the […]
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Training Course: “Introductory course to Belgium for diplomats recently arrived in Brussels”, October 11-15 (Egmont, Belgium)
The Education & Training Programme is proud to announce the upcoming “Introductory course to Belgium” which will take place at […]
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“The EU-US Trade and Technology Council: mapping the challenges and opportunities for transatlantic cooperation on trade, climate and digital”, Andreas Aktoudianakis, Guillaume Van der Loo and Thijs Vandenbussche (Egmont, Belgium)
The EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021 marked the beginning of a renewed transatlantic partnership and set an ambitious joint […]
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“The EU-US Trade and Technology Council: mapping the challenges and opportunities for transatlantic cooperation on trade, climate and digital”, Andreas Aktoudianakis, Guillaume Van der Loo and Thijs Vandenbussche (Egmont, Belgium)
The EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021 marked the beginning of a renewed transatlantic partnership and set an ambitious joint […]
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“Counter-terrorism as a Public Policy: Theoretical Insights and Broader Reflections on the State of Counter-Terrorism Research”, Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
In spite of the growing amount of literature published on terrorism over the past 20 years, counter-terrorism is rarely considered […]
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“The Strategic Compass: Entering the Fray”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The Strategic Compass for the EU’s security and defence policy, to be adopted in 2022, must generate immediate action. The […]
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“How to reverse in a one-way street”, Marc Franco (Egmont, Belgium)
There is not much joy in EU-Russia relations or in relations between Russia and the West in general. Judging by […]
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“The evolution of the policy response to jihadi returnees in Europe (2012-2020)”, Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
The mobilisation of European volunteers for the jihad in Syria and Iraq was unprecedented. Fighters returning to Europe present a […]
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“Introductory speeches at the colloquium on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights”, Jean-Louis De Brouwer (Egmont, Belgium)
These are two of the introductory speeches at the colloquium Human Rights in Pandemic Times Political Exceptionalism, Social Vulnerability & […]
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“Afghan refugees: Europe should develop an ambitious and collaborative structure”, Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
The TV news and press coverage of the mayhem in Kabul and around its airport mask the greater scrum by […]
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“Elections in Russia: a measure for nothing or relevant after all?”, Marc Franco (Egmont, Belgium)
Russians go to the ballot box on 17 to 19 September. Most commentators consider the election as a non- event […]
Read more“Belgian Defence: Put your trust in people”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
On the eve of the National Day, Sven Biscop reflects on Belgian Defence: budget, capabilities, and above all, people. Read […]
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“EU strategy: Resolutely moderate”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
As competition and rivalry between the great powers increase, the overriding challenge for international politics in the first half of […]
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“Justifying Interventions: The Case of ECOWAS in Liberia”, Nina Wilén (Egmont, Belgium)
Two decades into the new millennium it is clear that ‘benign’ interventions with the aim to stabilize conflict-ridden or troubled […]
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“Afghanistan: The End of a Strategic Distraction”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The military intervention in Afghanistan was a near complete success. Or it would have been, had the US pulled out […]
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