Research pole
The pole conflict studies develops a high-level expertise in the history of contemporary conflicts and the security and defence problems.
The research activities focus on
- The historical analysis of the military conflicts since the First World War.
- The integration of Belgium in international structures.
- The military approaches to promoting security.
- History and geopolitics of Central Africa.
Research units
World politics
Poc: Col GS Éric Kalajzic
The research unit is conducting research in geopolitics and international relations.
Research interests further include:
- Security and Defence Policies.
- Theories of international relations.
- Political geography.
- International organizations for security and defence, but also development topics, operations and missions abroad, integrated approaches (UN, NATO, OSCE, AU, Arab League).
- Geopolitical analysis of conflicts and areas where political frictions happened or will probably happen.
- Negotiations before, during and after territorial or/and political disputes which could derive in open conflict or insurgency.
- Contemporary security issues; terrorism, water scarcity, demography, migration, climate change, transnational crimes and all kind of international trafficking (human, weapon, drug etc).
- Grand strategy, analysis of strategists’writings, counter-insurgency, cyber threat, conventional and unconventional warfare, nuclear deterrence, intelligence gathering, hybrid warfare.
- Military capacities development.
- International relations and geopolitics of the following regions or counties: Central Africa, Russian Federation, Balkans, North Africa, Sahel, Middle-East, Horn of Africa, South Africa, AFPAK, Caucasus, People Republic of China, India, Brazil.
History
Poc: LtCol GS Dr Kris Quanten
The research unit is conducting research in the domain of military history and international relations.
Research interests further include:
- The analysis of contemporary military conflicts.
- The analysis of military conflicts in historical perspective.
- The analysis of the military operations during the First and Second World War.
- The impact of military conflicts on international relations.
- History of Air and Naval Warfare.
- The historical background of the geopolitical situation in Central Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East.