Reflecting on Belgium's Strategic Orientations
Opportunities for a Niche-Based Approach in Defense and Foreign Policy
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.
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- Publisher
- Presses universitaires de Louvain
- Edited by
- Edouard Xia, Marion Jacques, Julien Godfroid, Tanguy Struye de Swielande,
- Collection
- | n° 18
- Language
- English
- BISAC Subject Heading
- POL011000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations
- BIC subject category (UK)
- JP Politics & government
- Onix Audience Codes
- 06 Professional and scholarly
- CLIL (Version 2013-2019)
- 3297 Relations internationales
- Title First Published
- 20 October 2025
- Subject Scheme Identifier Code
- : Relations internationales
Paperback
- Publication Date
- 20 October 2025
- ISBN-13
- 9782390616344
- Extent
- Main content page count : 120
- Code
- 109332
- Dimensions
- 17 x 24 cm
- Weight
- 216 grams
- Packaging Type
- No outer packaging
- List Price
- 19.00 €
- ONIX XML
- Version 2.1, Version 3
- Publication Date
- 20 October 2025
- ISBN-13
- 9782390616351
- Extent
- Main content page count : 120
- Code
- 109332PDF
- ONIX XML
- Version 2.1, Version 3
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Contents
INTRODUCTION 5
Edouard Xia, Marion Jacques, Julien Godfroid, Tanguy Struye de Swielande
TOWARDS A BELGIAN NICHE FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICY 9
Tanguy Struye de Swielande
SPECIALIZATION AS STRATEGY 11
Marc Thys
WHAT ROLE FOR MULTILATERALISM IN CONTEMPORARY BELGIAN FOREIGN POLICY? 17
Ghislain d'Hoop
1. Key determinants for rules-based multilateralism 18
2. Relevance of these foundational principles for Belgian foreign policy 24
3. Action! Stronger multilateral engagement and ownership in the new world order
4. In conclusion 28
"IT’S A BALANCING ACT" 29
Cind Du Bois, Nick Houttekier, Sara Van Hoeymissen
1. Strategic capitalism as a conceptual framework 30
2. A triple-layered institutional framework 32
3. Matrix of economic security instruments and three levels of the balancing act 37
4. Challenges and recommendations 42
BELGIUM’S APPROACH TO CONTESTED GLOBAL MULTILATERALISM 45
Edouard Xia
1. The contested structure of multilateralism 45
2. A brief overview of Belgium’s foreign policy 55
3. Linking a defensive approach (…) 58
4. (…) With an offensive approach 61
5. In conclusion 64
TO 3D OR NOT TO 3D? 67
Joachim Herpels
1. Looking at the map 68
2. The context and the competition 72
3. A possible solution in the name of an integrated 3D approach 74
4. Observation of previous 3D implementation 75
128 R e f l e c t i n g o n B e l g i u m ’ s S t r a t e g i c O r i e n t a t i o n s
5. Current 3D implementation and limitations 76
TOWARDS A BELGIAN INFORMATION WARFARE DOCTRINE? 81
Julien Godfroid
1. Information warfare: a brief definition 82
2. The translation into a doctrine 84
3. A Belgian information warfare doctrine: some exploratory thinking 88
4. In conclusion 95
THE FUTURE OF BELGIAN DEFENSE 97
Wannes Verstraete
1. The emergence of a neo-imperial world order 97
2. The defense policy of the previous De Croo government 100
3. The defense policy of the current De Wever government 101
4. The siren call of specialization 103
5. The risk of dependency 104
6. In conclusion 107
HOW TO NEGOTIATE IN THE 21ST CENTURY 109
Raoul Delcorde
THE CONSTRAINTS OF FOREIGN POLICY IN THE FACE OF PUBLIC OPINION 117
Tanguy de Wilde d’Estmael
BELGIAN FOREIGN POLICY PUT TO THE TEST BY GLOBAL UPHEAVAL 119
Michel Liégeois
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 123
AUTHORS 125
TABLE OF CONTENT 127