Author Archive for: Stephanie Govaerts

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The Arctic Security Conference 2025: Managing Polarisation and Fragmentation

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In September, Strategic Analyst Fiona De Cuyper attended the 2025 Arctic Security Conference in Oslo, Norway. The event brought together a diverse group of global participants, including academics, government and business representatives, Indigenous peoples, and locals from northern communities. This year, the central theme of the conference was “Managing Polarisation and Fragmentation”, with sessions focused on great power competition in the High North, the relevance of Arctic cooperative institutions, the state of conflict in the region, the local aspect of security considerations, and the role of non-Arctic states. Fiona’s reflections and insights from the conference are presented below.

New snapshot: The Strategic Cost of Transatlantic Competition Over Greenland’s Critical Raw Materials

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Greenland’s critical raw materials are attracting global attention – but will the EU and US step up, or will China fill the void? Assistant analyst Julie Jeuken investigates EU and US bilateral engagements with Greenland, finding that both share similar goals yet fall short of Nuuk’s expectations. The snapshot calls for a Greenland-centred approach to transatlantic cooperation: aligning efforts with the island’s ambitions, leveraging renewable energy in mining, and coordinating with countries already active in the sector.

New WPS Policy Brief | Addressing Water-related Security Challenges in Fragile Settings: Opportunities and Limitations for Defence and Security Actors

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The Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership explores the growing role of defence and security actors—the “fourth D” alongside development, disaster relief and diplomacy—in addressing water-related security risks. Based on literature review and expert interviews in Iraq, Mali, Ethiopia and Kenya, this new WPS policy brief by HCSS analysts Lennart Engel and Thijs van Aken examines their complex role in fragile, water-stressed contexts and identifies key opportunities, challenges, and three priority actions for more effective and responsible engagement.

Event Recap Franco -Dutch Defence Talks

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On September 30th, HCSS hosted the inaugural Franco-Dutch Defence Talks supported by the French Defence Attache office in the Netherlands. This year’s meeting focused on the state of European discussions on nuclear deterrence, with a particular focus on the current debates surrounding the role of European nuclear weapons considering the Russian invasion of Ukraine and American instability.

Iskander Rehman | A Little World War: Lessons from the Spanish Civil War for Contemporary Strategies 

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On 11th September 2025, HCSS welcomed Dr. Iskander Rehman, author and Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation for a lecture on the Lessons Learnt from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) applicable to the current war in Ukraine. Rehman’s comparative historical analysis yielded numerous insights relevant for today’s world.

From Dayton to Brussels: 30 Years of Peace, deadlock, and an EU path for Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The Clingendael Institute together with The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) and The BiH-NL Thinktank have the pleasure to invite you to the conference “From Dayton to Brussels: 30 Years of Peace, Deadlock, and an EU Path for Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which will be held on 21 November 2025 as both an invitation-only symposium as well as online. As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, this event seeks to reflect on the legacy of the agreement, examining how it ended conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina but entrenched political divisions that continue to challenge democratic progress and EU integration.

New GC REAIM Strategic Guidance Report on Responsible AI in the Military Domain

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The HCSS Strategic Stability: Deterrence and Arms Control programme examines the full spectrum and dynamics of contemporary deterrence. With groundbreaking research from our team of experts, we explore how political signalling, psychological biases, and emerging disruptive technologies shape deterrence and arms control today, providing policymakers with practical insights to anticipate risks, avoid miscalculation, and craft more credible strategies and policies for stability in a turbulent world.

IDCSS25 partners with Cyber People and BlockVerse Institute!

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We are excited to announce a new collaboration between the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), organiser of the Indo-Dutch Cyber Security School (IDCSS), and Cyber People, a leading organisation in cyber talent recruitment and placement, and BlockVerse Institute, a future ready skilling and workforce transformation partner. Cyber People and BlockVerse Institute will support IDCSS in identifying top-performing students and skilling them based on industry demand. The skilling is to get them job ready and will be a self-paid, part-time, 3 months long program after IDCSS finishes. Students who perform well in this job readiness cohort will then be connected with relevant career opportunities within the cyber industry. You can already register your interest in the link!

Tanks, Tech, and Tungsten: The Strategic Mineral Alliance the West Needs | Peter Handley

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What good is a tank if you can’t get the metals to build it?A new piece in War on the Rocks ‘Tanks, Tech, and Tungsten: The Strategic Mineral Alliance the West Needs’ co-written by HCSS Strategic Advisor Peter Handley argues that the U.S. and EU need to rethink critical minerals cooperation — shifting from a climate and economic framing toward defence and security. Read the full article here.

One year after the Draghi Report Conference | Berend Kwak & Ron Stoop

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HCSS Strategic Analysts Ron Stoop and Berend Kwak joined the European Commission’s High-Level Conference: One Year After the Draghi Report. Attended by Ursula von der Leyen, Mario Draghi and leading voices from academia, think tanks, business, European institutions, Ron and Berend were invited thanks to their publication of the HCSS Draghi Report Series last year, which explores the long-term implications of Draghi’s recommendations. Read to find out which 6 key messages stood out from the Conference and keep an eye out for the second edition of this series, reflecting on Draghi’s vision one year later.

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