Publications

Over the years, HCSS has built up an extensive archive of reports, monitors, papers and other publications. We disseminate the results of our research as broadly as possible to benefit the public good. Use the advanced search functions below to browse through our research library, most of which is available as free PDF downloads.

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Industrial Open Strategic Autonomy in the Indo-Pacific: Focusing on high-tech industrial innovation and supply chain security

9 Jan 2026

How can countries strengthen economic security without sacrificing openness? This new HCSS–KIEP edited volume by Benedetta Girardi and Young-ook Jang examines how South Korea and the Netherlands can advance open strategic autonomy through cooperation in high-tech innovation and supply-chain security. Focusing on semiconductors, quantum technology, energy, and critical raw materials, the edited volume shows how middle powers can build resilience through partnership—not decoupling.

Strategische keuzes voor een toekomstbestendige stuwende economie in de Kennisregio Aan Zee en stedelijk Rotterdam

8 Jan 2026

De Kennisregio aan Zee — bestaande uit Den Haag, Delft, Leiden en Zoetermeer, aangevuld met stedelijk Rotterdam — heeft een sterke basis in Life Sciences, hightech maakindustrie, AI, veiligheid en landbouw. HCSS onderzocht welke ecosystemen en kruisbestuivingen de regio het meeste toekomstig verdienvermogen bieden. De grootste kansen liggen in kennisintensieve, exportgerichte sectoren en zeven strategische ecosysteemcombinaties die maatschappelijke missies versterken. Het rapport biedt concrete aanbevelingen voor regionale en gemeentelijke strategieën richting 2050 en daarna.

Bridging Waters: Strengthening Europe's Maritime Security Engagement Through Partnerships with Rising Middle Powers

17 Dec 2025

In a new report ‘Bridging Waters: Strengthening Europe’s Maritime Security Engagement Through Partnerships with Rising Middle Powers,’ Benedetta Girardi and Pieter-Jan Vandoren explore how Europe can strengthen maritime security in the South China Sea and Red Sea through cooperation with rising middle powers. The study outlines urgent threats, identifies high-value preventive and responsive measures, and presents an actionable agenda for European policymakers.

HCSS Annual Report 2025

17 Dec 2025

We hereby proudly present the HCSS Annual Report 2025! Our Team’s output has been nothing short of exceptional: we published over 100 reports and articles; we provided over 2000 commentaries for national and international media; we strengthened partnerships with leading institutions worldwide and hosted policymakers from Europe, the Indo-Pacific and beyond; and we welcomed over 2,200 participants at more than 35 events. On behalf of the entire HCSS Team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series: Soft Blockades and Strategic Control of Maritime Chokepoints in Southeast Asia

15 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Sumathy Permal examines how strategic competition in Southeast Asia is increasingly playing out through soft blockades and grey-zone tactics in critical maritime chokepoints such as the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. As these practices raise risks to freedom of navigation, regional stability, and global trade, the paper outlines how Malaysia’s national responses — alongside targeted EU–Malaysia cooperation in capacity building, maritime domain awareness, and legal support — can strengthen chokepoint resilience while upholding a rules-based maritime order.

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series: The Houthi Threat in the Broader Red Sea: New Risks and Policy Options for Gulf–European Cooperation

15 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Eleanora Ardemagni examines how the Red Sea is entering a more dangerous phase as the Houthis extend their weapons range, enhance capabilities, and deepen ties with armed groups. With rising risks to Saudi Arabia’s ports, Vision 2030 projects, undersea cables, and oil routes — and with weak regional cooperation frameworks — the paper outlines why closer Saudi-European engagement is increasingly necessary. It highlights practical avenues for joint action, from coordinated support for the Yemeni Coast Guard to enhanced intelligence sharing, offering a targeted path to strengthening maritime resilience and stabilising a vital waterway for regional security and global trade.

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series | Egypt and the EU: Acting on the Shared Interest in Stabilising the Red Sea

15 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Yara Ahmed and Saskia van Genugten examine how instability in the Red Sea — from Houthi attacks and piracy to intensifying great-power rivalries — is disrupting global shipping and sharply impacting Egypt, especially through declining Suez Canal revenues. The paper outlines practical avenues for Egypt–EU cooperation, including strengthening Suez Canal resilience, enhancing maritime situational awareness, improving coordination between naval missions, and protecting undersea cables. It also highlights the need for joint diplomatic efforts in regional conflicts, offering a pathway to reinforce the stability of a corridor vital to both regional and European security.

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series | Efforts to Lift the EU’s Yellow Card: Assessing Vietnam’s Legal Response to IUU Fishing

12 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Pham Ngoc Minh Trang examines how Vietnam’s long-running EU IUU “yellow card” — driven by gaps in vessel monitoring, enforcement, and traceability — continues to carry economic and reputational costs despite significant post-2017 legal reforms. As key shortcomings persist, especially in monitoring small-scale vessels and ensuring continuous VMS transmission, the paper outlines where EU–Vietnam cooperation remains essential. It highlights how European expertise and joint initiatives — from legal dialogue and VMS anomaly training to pilot tracking programmes — can help close remaining capacity gaps, support sustainable fisheries governance, and advance Vietnam’s compliance efforts in the South China Sea context.

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series | Navigating Great Power Rivalry through Maritime Cooperation

12 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Shafiah F. Muhibat explores how great power rivalry and daily grey zone encounters are reshaping security dynamics in the South China Sea, putting Indonesia on the frontline and challenging Europe’s ability to uphold the rules-based order. As the EU navigates limited geopolitical bandwidth, the paper outlines a focused, non-escalatory approach to maritime cooperation — from targeted joint training and legal capacity-building to enhanced maritime domain awareness — offering a realistic path to mitigating grey zone tensions without amplifying great power competition.

Bridging Waters Guest Paper Series | EU-Philippines Cooperative Maritime Measures

12 Dec 2025

In a new HCSS guest paper, Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby examines how the South China Sea’s highly contested maritime space is becoming more complex as geopolitical tensions rise and environmental pressures deepen. As Europe and the Philippines expand cooperation in information sharing, capacity building, and maritime domain awareness, the paper highlights remaining challenges and shows how dual-use technologies can help close the gap between existing commitments and operational needs.

Response and Resilience: Government Strategies for Securing Subsea Infrastructure in Europe and Asia

11 Dec 2025

HCSS and RSIS have released a new joint report analysing threats to critical undersea infrastructure in Europe and Asia. The study highlights the results of a workshop held in Singapore in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and outlines key vulnerabilities, highlights legal and monitoring gaps, and proposes a shared Singapore–Netherlands agenda to strengthen detection, resilience, and international cooperation.

HCSS Focus | Complot in context

9 Dec 2025

Deze HCSS Focus onderzoekt hoe Nederlanders alternatieve verklaringen (of, negatief geformuleerd: ‘complottheorieën') voor maatschappelijke gebeurtenissen beoordelen. We kijken naar psychologische en sociaal-economische factoren, digitale platformdynamieken en de manier waarop mensen informatiebronnen gebruiken. Het rapport maakt onderscheid tussen verschillende soorten narratieven en meerdere plausibiliteitsniveaus. Het biedt geen beleidsrichtingen, maar laat zien hoe divers en gelaagd dit landschap is — en hoe belangrijk transparantie, mediageletterdheid en institutionele kwaliteit zijn voor maatschappelijke stabiliteit.

HCSS Publieksmonitor Maatschappelijke Stabiliteit | Hoofdlijnen Winterpeiling 2025

3 Dec 2025

Volgens de Winterpeiling van de HCSS Publieksmonitor krijgt de maatschappelijke stabiliteit in Nederland een krappe voldoende (6.1) . Binnenlandse spanningen, dalend vertrouwen in de overheid en groeiende zorgen over extremisme domineren het beeld. Tegelijkertijd blijkt de sociale samenhang de belangrijkste bron van veerkracht. Lees nu de nieuwste analyse van wat Nederlanders zien als grootste dreigingen én sterkste fundamenten van onze samenleving.

Assessing Europe’s Resilience and Preparedness in an Era of Strategic Risks

2 Dec 2025

Europe’s resilience is still situational, not systemic, concludes a new joint HCSS and CSDS report. The report finds that Europe’s ability to withstand hybrid shocks remains uneven, with civil–military cooperation and military mobility emerging as critical vulnerabilities. The authors propose concrete EU–NATO and Dutch recommendations to strengthen energy, transport and digital resilience, and argue that true deterrence now depends on treating resilience as a core strategic capability.

Dag van Progress 2025 | Key Takeaways HCSS & Clingendael

28 Nov 2025

Op 13 november organiseerden The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies en The Clingendael Institute in samenwerking met het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken en Ministerie van Defensie de jaarlijkse Dag van Progress. Het centrale thema van de dag stond in het teken Europese soevereiniteit in tijden van veranderende trans-Atlantische verhoudingen, en wat hierin de kansen en uitdagingen zijn voor Nederland en Europa. Samen met onderzoekers, beleidsmakers en strategische denkers verkenden we wat dit betekent voor Europa’s strategische autonomie, defensie-industrie en technologische weerbaarheid.

European Military Fuel Readiness: The Role of Alternative Fuels in Military Logistics

26 Nov 2025

What does the energy transition in the military look like? The use of alternative fuels in the military brings challenges and opportunities, but while fossil fuels are slowly phased out, advanced and sustainable biofuels as well as synthetic fuels – are introduced. This report analyses the energy transition for military fuel readiness across the air, land and maritime domains as of 2025. Relating fuel properties and infrastructure to the operational needs of the military and providing 5 takeaways.

HCSS Draghi Revisited Report Series | Expert Commentary

19 Nov 2025

One year after Mario Draghi’s landmark report, HCSS launches Draghi Revisited, the second edition of its Draghi Report Series. Despite rising political attention, Europe remains dependent in key defence, raw materials, cleantech and digital sectors, while global pressures intensify. Following the impact of their initial series, HCSS analysts Ron Stoop and Berend Kwak were invited to the European Commission’s conference marking the report's anniversary, and now return to assess how far Europe has advanced toward industrial, technological and economic sovereignty. This new edition revisits Draghi’s warnings sector by sector, reviewing the EU’s concrete steps over the past year.

Propelling Green Ambitions: Policy Cycles and Priorities in China and the Netherlands

18 Nov 2025

How do China and the Netherlands translate their sustainability ambitions into policy and how can cooperation on the green transition be intensified? This new HCSS report compares the Dutch and Chinese approaches to green policymaking, revealing shared priorities across the domains of physical connectivity, environmental quality and human wellbeing, and resilience and adaptability. The study identifies how both countries can complement each other to accelerate the green transition, by focusing on pilot projects, knowledge exchange, and integrated spatial planning, among others.

Annales des Mines | The current state of the European Union’s dependency and its policies

12 Nov 2025

In an article for Les Annales des Mines, HCSS strategic advisor Peter Handley examines how the EU’s efforts to reduce strategic dependencies — from energy to defence — have paradoxically coincided with rising import reliance. As China tightens export controls and the US races ahead with industrial policy, Handley argues that Europe must urgently shift from awareness to action to secure critical raw materials — and with them, its strategic autonomy.

Securing Europe’s Clean Tech Future: Supporting Industry Stockpiles of Critical Raw Materials in the Netherlands

10 Nov 2025

From batteries to hydrogen: Europe’s clean tech future depends on secure, sustainable material supply. A new HCSS report explores how public-private collaboration on voluntary critical raw material stockpiles can strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the Dutch and European clean tech sectors. The study by Irina Patrahau and Ron Stoop proposes a four-step model and actionable recommendations for building voluntary stockpiles that support SMEs, promote ESG sourcing, and align with EU strategic autonomy goals.

Attritable Precision Strike: Towards a Mass UAV Loitering Capacity for the Royal Netherlands Army

28 Oct 2025

New policy brief by HCSS senior fellow Friso Stevens: Europe’s next land war will be shaped by massed UAVs. The Royal Netherlands Army should build a resilient, AI-enabled loitering UAV capability and a domestic industrial base to scale rapidly in crisis. Read the policy options and concrete industrial steps for Dutch defence.

Taiwan’s Role in the Strategic Reindustrialization of Europe

15 Oct 2025

On 15 September 2025, HCSS had the honour of hosting His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, for a closed-door luncheon. The discussion focused on “Taiwan’s Role in the Strategic Reindustrialization of Europe.” Conversations explored the geopolitical aspects of reindustrialization, the development of democratic and resilient supply chains, and opportunities for enhanced cooperation between Taiwan and the Netherlands within the ReArm Europe framework. The exchange offered valuable insights into the evolving role of Taiwan in Europe’s strategic landscape and highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships among like-minded democracies.

Old Players, New Moves: India's Strategy in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

14 Oct 2025

As global power dynamics shift toward multipolarity, India’s challenge lies not in adaptation, but in shaping the new order. A new HCSS Snapshot, Old Players, New Moves: India’s Strategy in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, explores how India can turn its SCO membership into strategic advantage. Authors Anna Hoefnagels and Benedetta Girardi assess whether the opportunities of SCO membership outweigh its challenges—and how India’s strategic moves today can shape the rules of tomorrow’s global game. The paper identifies three key pathways for India to strengthen its regional role and influence the emerging multipolar order.

The Arctic Security Conference 2025: Managing Polarisation and Fragmentation

9 Oct 2025

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.

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