Brussels Institute for Geopolitics
@bigeurope.bsky.social
BIG brings together thought leaders from politics, business and civil society to help Europe get in shape for the new era of great power politics.
Europe is looking to the stars in 2026 - but “failure to launch” is a real risk 🔭 Uncoordinated national “coopetition” can fragment delivery. In his latest essay for BIG, Alban Guyomarc’h argues tech roadmaps can bridge rhetoric to deployable systems.
Read the full article here: 🔗 shorturl.at/0KaDO
Read the full article here: 🔗 shorturl.at/0KaDO
February 4, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Europe is looking to the stars in 2026 - but “failure to launch” is a real risk 🔭 Uncoordinated national “coopetition” can fragment delivery. In his latest essay for BIG, Alban Guyomarc’h argues tech roadmaps can bridge rhetoric to deployable systems.
Read the full article here: 🔗 shorturl.at/0KaDO
Read the full article here: 🔗 shorturl.at/0KaDO
Time for Brexit Britain to come in from the cold? With the ‘Special Relationship’ turning sour, and the next UK-EU summit pencilled in for the spring, BIG’s Martin Leng argues that the UK should re-embrace its European destiny while it still remains politically possible. ➡️🔗 shorturl.at/5m157
February 2, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Time for Brexit Britain to come in from the cold? With the ‘Special Relationship’ turning sour, and the next UK-EU summit pencilled in for the spring, BIG’s Martin Leng argues that the UK should re-embrace its European destiny while it still remains politically possible. ➡️🔗 shorturl.at/5m157
Success. 🇪🇺🤝🇮🇳
January 30, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Success. 🇪🇺🤝🇮🇳
Faced with the New America, a compelling new narrative of who ‘We’ are is a vital ideological bulwark. Writing for @euractiv.com today, BIG's Director @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social calls on Europe to relearn the ‘language of power’ – and reclaim the power of language.
🔗 Read here: shorturl.at/8XojK
🔗 Read here: shorturl.at/8XojK
January 27, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Faced with the New America, a compelling new narrative of who ‘We’ are is a vital ideological bulwark. Writing for @euractiv.com today, BIG's Director @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social calls on Europe to relearn the ‘language of power’ – and reclaim the power of language.
🔗 Read here: shorturl.at/8XojK
🔗 Read here: shorturl.at/8XojK
At tomorrow’s #EU–#India Summit, a partnership with real geopolitical weight meets its moment of truth. Brussels leans on rules and standards; New Delhi defends policy space. BIG’s Valeria Santi examines why bridging the governance gap is now the central geopolitical task. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/brYB5
🔗 shorturl.at/brYB5
January 26, 2026 at 2:49 PM
At tomorrow’s #EU–#India Summit, a partnership with real geopolitical weight meets its moment of truth. Brussels leans on rules and standards; New Delhi defends policy space. BIG’s Valeria Santi examines why bridging the governance gap is now the central geopolitical task. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/brYB5
🔗 shorturl.at/brYB5
While Mark Carney may have charted a new strategic direction in #Davos, Trump’s Greenland climbdown reveals that Mark Rutte's flattery and diplomacy remain essential survival skills.
BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social dissects the repercussions from an Alpine summit like no other. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/epJuF
BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social dissects the repercussions from an Alpine summit like no other. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/epJuF
January 26, 2026 at 11:22 AM
While Mark Carney may have charted a new strategic direction in #Davos, Trump’s Greenland climbdown reveals that Mark Rutte's flattery and diplomacy remain essential survival skills.
BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social dissects the repercussions from an Alpine summit like no other. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/epJuF
BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social dissects the repercussions from an Alpine summit like no other. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/epJuF
The #EU’s shift away from #oil and #gas is good news for the planet – but for its fossil fuels suppliers, the picture is more complex. Writing for Nature Energy, BIG Fellow Thijs Van de Graaf explores the moral and geopolitical dilemma behind Europe’s green transition. ➡️ shorturl.at/xp26D
January 20, 2026 at 8:00 AM
The #EU’s shift away from #oil and #gas is good news for the planet – but for its fossil fuels suppliers, the picture is more complex. Writing for Nature Energy, BIG Fellow Thijs Van de Graaf explores the moral and geopolitical dilemma behind Europe’s green transition. ➡️ shorturl.at/xp26D
🗺️ Most maps push the Arctic to the margins. On a polar projection, the High North is an operational arena – shipping, cables, air corridors, early warning and SAR. 🧭🧩
💡 BIG’s map shows how Arctic connectivity reshapes distance, access and influence.
🔗 Check the map here: shorturl.at/PG6fE
💡 BIG’s map shows how Arctic connectivity reshapes distance, access and influence.
🔗 Check the map here: shorturl.at/PG6fE
January 19, 2026 at 1:23 PM
🗺️ Most maps push the Arctic to the margins. On a polar projection, the High North is an operational arena – shipping, cables, air corridors, early warning and SAR. 🧭🧩
💡 BIG’s map shows how Arctic connectivity reshapes distance, access and influence.
🔗 Check the map here: shorturl.at/PG6fE
💡 BIG’s map shows how Arctic connectivity reshapes distance, access and influence.
🔗 Check the map here: shorturl.at/PG6fE
🎙️ BIG's @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social spoke with @euscream.bsky.social for their latest episode. What next after the geostrategic wake-up call in the High North?
🔊⬇️ Listen here now:
Spotify: shorturl.at/6QESm
Web: shorturl.at/8v6HY
#Greenland #Denmark #Trump #USA #Security #Defence
🔊⬇️ Listen here now:
Spotify: shorturl.at/6QESm
Web: shorturl.at/8v6HY
#Greenland #Denmark #Trump #USA #Security #Defence
January 15, 2026 at 11:55 AM
🎙️ BIG's @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social spoke with @euscream.bsky.social for their latest episode. What next after the geostrategic wake-up call in the High North?
🔊⬇️ Listen here now:
Spotify: shorturl.at/6QESm
Web: shorturl.at/8v6HY
#Greenland #Denmark #Trump #USA #Security #Defence
🔊⬇️ Listen here now:
Spotify: shorturl.at/6QESm
Web: shorturl.at/8v6HY
#Greenland #Denmark #Trump #USA #Security #Defence
Icy #Greenland is suddenly a geopolitical hotspot. High on the rush of a smash-and-grab operation in Caracas, the US administration has doubled down on its threats to annex the island this week – and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has warned that such a move would herald ‘the end of #NATO’.
Our take ⬇️
Our take ⬇️
January 7, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Icy #Greenland is suddenly a geopolitical hotspot. High on the rush of a smash-and-grab operation in Caracas, the US administration has doubled down on its threats to annex the island this week – and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has warned that such a move would herald ‘the end of #NATO’.
Our take ⬇️
Our take ⬇️
It's not too late to give the gift of geopolitics this Christmas. 🎄🌍📚
From the reverberations of history and memory to the hypothetical nuclear crises of the future, you're sure to find a festive read to suit any taste on BIG's Christmas bookshelf.
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
From the reverberations of history and memory to the hypothetical nuclear crises of the future, you're sure to find a festive read to suit any taste on BIG's Christmas bookshelf.
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
December 23, 2025 at 8:01 AM
It's not too late to give the gift of geopolitics this Christmas. 🎄🌍📚
From the reverberations of history and memory to the hypothetical nuclear crises of the future, you're sure to find a festive read to suit any taste on BIG's Christmas bookshelf.
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
From the reverberations of history and memory to the hypothetical nuclear crises of the future, you're sure to find a festive read to suit any taste on BIG's Christmas bookshelf.
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
In Central and Eastern Europe, #geopolitics is both an old wound and a new political faultline. The #EU must tread carefully, argues BIG's Thomas Laffitte, lest opponents become polarized foes in a reductive battle of civilizations which may do more harm than good. ⬇️ #CEE
🔗 shorturl.at/KjRsX
🔗 shorturl.at/KjRsX
December 17, 2025 at 10:48 AM
In Central and Eastern Europe, #geopolitics is both an old wound and a new political faultline. The #EU must tread carefully, argues BIG's Thomas Laffitte, lest opponents become polarized foes in a reductive battle of civilizations which may do more harm than good. ⬇️ #CEE
🔗 shorturl.at/KjRsX
🔗 shorturl.at/KjRsX
🎙️ Nuestro podcast lleva el micrófono a Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, autora y periodista argentina.
Una conversación compleja y provocadora acerca de la historia, los idiomas, el #poder – y la incertidumbre en las relaciones futuras entre #Europa y #Latinoamérica.
🎧 Escucha aquí: shorturl.at/z57nA
Una conversación compleja y provocadora acerca de la historia, los idiomas, el #poder – y la incertidumbre en las relaciones futuras entre #Europa y #Latinoamérica.
🎧 Escucha aquí: shorturl.at/z57nA
December 16, 2025 at 1:26 PM
🎙️ Nuestro podcast lleva el micrófono a Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, autora y periodista argentina.
Una conversación compleja y provocadora acerca de la historia, los idiomas, el #poder – y la incertidumbre en las relaciones futuras entre #Europa y #Latinoamérica.
🎧 Escucha aquí: shorturl.at/z57nA
Una conversación compleja y provocadora acerca de la historia, los idiomas, el #poder – y la incertidumbre en las relaciones futuras entre #Europa y #Latinoamérica.
🎧 Escucha aquí: shorturl.at/z57nA
Reposted by Brussels Institute for Geopolitics
The Franco-German squabble over the FCAS fighter jet is a show of weakness just when Europe needs to be projecting strength, argues Martin Leng from the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics (@bigeurope.bsky.social) in this guest op-ed. www.the-sentinel.media/p/op-ed-fcas...
Op-ed: FCAS squabble is unfit for a new era
The Franco-German turf war embodies Europe’s strategic failure
www.the-sentinel.media
December 16, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The Franco-German squabble over the FCAS fighter jet is a show of weakness just when Europe needs to be projecting strength, argues Martin Leng from the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics (@bigeurope.bsky.social) in this guest op-ed. www.the-sentinel.media/p/op-ed-fcas...
As #Trump takes aim at #Europe, our guest writer Mark Gilbert counters that both its cheerleaders and detractors – US and European – have created a false dichotomy. The European project is both more complex and subtle than either Euro-boosters or sceptics would have us believe. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/Xi5hg
🔗 shorturl.at/Xi5hg
December 15, 2025 at 9:47 AM
As #Trump takes aim at #Europe, our guest writer Mark Gilbert counters that both its cheerleaders and detractors – US and European – have created a false dichotomy. The European project is both more complex and subtle than either Euro-boosters or sceptics would have us believe. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/Xi5hg
🔗 shorturl.at/Xi5hg
In a wide-ranging interview on #Ukraine, #Trump and the new geopolitical order, BIG's Director @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social spoke with El Pais about the urgency of Europe's present moment.
🔗 Read the full conversation: shorturl.at/CTzPH
@elpais.com
🔗 Read the full conversation: shorturl.at/CTzPH
@elpais.com
Luuk van Middelaar: ‘The best Europe can do is make the bad Ukraine deal less bad’
The director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics criticizes the EU’s appeasement policy towards Trump
shorturl.at
December 9, 2025 at 10:12 AM
In a wide-ranging interview on #Ukraine, #Trump and the new geopolitical order, BIG's Director @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social spoke with El Pais about the urgency of Europe's present moment.
🔗 Read the full conversation: shorturl.at/CTzPH
@elpais.com
🔗 Read the full conversation: shorturl.at/CTzPH
@elpais.com
Any doubts about American intentions vis-à-vis #Ukraine and #Europe were put to rest on Friday with the #US' new #NationalSecurity Strategy. BIG's Claude-France Arnould argues the only way to avoid a nightmare is to wake up - and start building effective European power, now.
🔗 shorturl.at/4UinV
🔗 shorturl.at/4UinV
December 8, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Any doubts about American intentions vis-à-vis #Ukraine and #Europe were put to rest on Friday with the #US' new #NationalSecurity Strategy. BIG's Claude-France Arnould argues the only way to avoid a nightmare is to wake up - and start building effective European power, now.
🔗 shorturl.at/4UinV
🔗 shorturl.at/4UinV
The #EU announced its new #EconomicSecurity Strategy this week. 💶🔒 A toolkit without an instruction manual, argues BIG's Hans Kribbe: 'If the #Commission really wants to deploy the EU's economic policy arsenal to achieve foreign/security goals, we deserve to know what those goals are.'
Our take ⬇️
Our take ⬇️
December 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
The #EU announced its new #EconomicSecurity Strategy this week. 💶🔒 A toolkit without an instruction manual, argues BIG's Hans Kribbe: 'If the #Commission really wants to deploy the EU's economic policy arsenal to achieve foreign/security goals, we deserve to know what those goals are.'
Our take ⬇️
Our take ⬇️
While Washington and Moscow negotiate, Kyiv and Brussels assess the stark choices ahead. We asked former UA gov minister Oleksandra Azarkhina four BIG questions - on her impressions of #EU defence coordination, American claims on mineral rights, and what #Ukraine needs now.
🔗 shorturl.at/DvBml
🔗 shorturl.at/DvBml
December 1, 2025 at 9:42 AM
While Washington and Moscow negotiate, Kyiv and Brussels assess the stark choices ahead. We asked former UA gov minister Oleksandra Azarkhina four BIG questions - on her impressions of #EU defence coordination, American claims on mineral rights, and what #Ukraine needs now.
🔗 shorturl.at/DvBml
🔗 shorturl.at/DvBml
Thought that building a shared European identity was hard? Try developing a common strategic culture. 🧩🧩🧩
'An EU security revolution begins with culture, with rediscovering what Europe stands for and what it is prepared to defend', writes BIG's Kate O'Riordan. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/x1MSB
'An EU security revolution begins with culture, with rediscovering what Europe stands for and what it is prepared to defend', writes BIG's Kate O'Riordan. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/x1MSB
November 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Thought that building a shared European identity was hard? Try developing a common strategic culture. 🧩🧩🧩
'An EU security revolution begins with culture, with rediscovering what Europe stands for and what it is prepared to defend', writes BIG's Kate O'Riordan. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/x1MSB
'An EU security revolution begins with culture, with rediscovering what Europe stands for and what it is prepared to defend', writes BIG's Kate O'Riordan. ⬇️
🔗 shorturl.at/x1MSB
In recent weeks, the #EU described #Georgia as a membership candidate ‘in name only’. How did it come to this for Tbilisi?
The country's 5th President Salome Zourabichvili writes for BIG on what's at stake - and what Europe should do now. 💡⬇️
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
#Enlargement #Caucasus
The country's 5th President Salome Zourabichvili writes for BIG on what's at stake - and what Europe should do now. 💡⬇️
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
#Enlargement #Caucasus
November 13, 2025 at 9:19 AM
In recent weeks, the #EU described #Georgia as a membership candidate ‘in name only’. How did it come to this for Tbilisi?
The country's 5th President Salome Zourabichvili writes for BIG on what's at stake - and what Europe should do now. 💡⬇️
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
#Enlargement #Caucasus
The country's 5th President Salome Zourabichvili writes for BIG on what's at stake - and what Europe should do now. 💡⬇️
🔗 big-europe.eu/publications...
#Enlargement #Caucasus
Reposted by Brussels Institute for Geopolitics
The EU needs an economic security council, @bigeurope.bsky.social’s Luuk van Middelaar & Hans Kribbe argue in our fall issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/eu-needs-...
November 11, 2025 at 1:52 PM
The EU needs an economic security council, @bigeurope.bsky.social’s Luuk van Middelaar & Hans Kribbe argue in our fall issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/eu-needs-...
Between what's agreed in Belém and Europe's green future, there lies uncertain geopolitical reality. Let's explore it! 🔍🍃
📅 Join us at BIG on 18/11 as we chart a course through the geostrategic risks for the EU's green transition - including expert input live from #COP30.
🔗 shorturl.at/rT8Q5
📅 Join us at BIG on 18/11 as we chart a course through the geostrategic risks for the EU's green transition - including expert input live from #COP30.
🔗 shorturl.at/rT8Q5
November 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Between what's agreed in Belém and Europe's green future, there lies uncertain geopolitical reality. Let's explore it! 🔍🍃
📅 Join us at BIG on 18/11 as we chart a course through the geostrategic risks for the EU's green transition - including expert input live from #COP30.
🔗 shorturl.at/rT8Q5
📅 Join us at BIG on 18/11 as we chart a course through the geostrategic risks for the EU's green transition - including expert input live from #COP30.
🔗 shorturl.at/rT8Q5
The #EU faces geopolitical dilemmas which demand strategic vision. Writing in @euractiv.com today, BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social argues for a new EU #EconomicSecurity Council to create the silo-busting geoeconomic coordination the institutions urgently need. ⬇️
🔗 www.euractiv.com/opinion/how-...
🔗 www.euractiv.com/opinion/how-...
How to keep Europe's economy from getting pulverised | Euractiv
Europe’s most serious headaches are neither issues of regulation nor diplomacy; they are both at once. An Economic Security Advisor would be able to pull security-sensitive issues out of the soup of B...
www.euractiv.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The #EU faces geopolitical dilemmas which demand strategic vision. Writing in @euractiv.com today, BIG's @hanskribbe.bsky.social argues for a new EU #EconomicSecurity Council to create the silo-busting geoeconomic coordination the institutions urgently need. ⬇️
🔗 www.euractiv.com/opinion/how-...
🔗 www.euractiv.com/opinion/how-...
In death as in life, Kenya's former PM Raila ‘Baba’ Odinga engendered an affection and unity which few European leaders could muster.
📩 Writing from Nairobi, @paulnolan.bsky.social reflects on a leader's legacy - and how his story gave political vibrancy to an entire nation. ➡️ shorturl.at/bvBjA
📩 Writing from Nairobi, @paulnolan.bsky.social reflects on a leader's legacy - and how his story gave political vibrancy to an entire nation. ➡️ shorturl.at/bvBjA
October 28, 2025 at 9:27 AM
In death as in life, Kenya's former PM Raila ‘Baba’ Odinga engendered an affection and unity which few European leaders could muster.
📩 Writing from Nairobi, @paulnolan.bsky.social reflects on a leader's legacy - and how his story gave political vibrancy to an entire nation. ➡️ shorturl.at/bvBjA
📩 Writing from Nairobi, @paulnolan.bsky.social reflects on a leader's legacy - and how his story gave political vibrancy to an entire nation. ➡️ shorturl.at/bvBjA