EMPORIA
In an increasingly unstable international context, the maritime domain has become one of the key theatres of geopolitical competition. Positioning itself within the field of maritime security research, the Emporia research project focuses on the nexus between maritime security, sea power, and economic nationalism. The project assesses how the unilateral pursuit of national economic interests is altering the global maritime security landscape, evaluating the expanding maritime ambitions, strategies, and capabilities of rising powers like Brazil, China, India and Turkey. In doing so, it examines the impact and implications of these developments for Belgium and the EU as a maritime security provider, while proposing useful academic insights and strategies to weather the storms ahead. The research is conducted at the Royal Military Academy (RMA).
Research output
Researchers
Prof. Dr. Cind Du Bois
Prof. Dr. Cind Du Bois is professor in Economics at the Royal Military Academy (RMA). She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economic Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and a Master in Political Sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Her current research interests are economic security, economic Statecraft and defence economics.
Prof. Dr. Jonathan Holslag
Prof. Dr. Jonathan Holslag is Professor of International Politics at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He was special advisor to the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Benelux director of the Trilateral Commission. Dr. Holslag serves as a reserve officer in the Belgian military. He has published widely on security, Asia and international affairs. He is or was part of various organizations, such as the World Economic Forum, the Trilateral Commission, the Friday Group, etc. He recently authored A Political History of the World (Penguin, 2018), The Silk Road Trap (Polity, 2019), and World Politics after 1989 (Polity, 2021).
Dr. Sara Van Hoeymissen
Sara Van Hoeymissen is a researcher on the Chinese economic statecraft project. She holds a PhD in Chinese Studies from the University of Leuven. She previously lived and worked in Southern Africa, where she lectured in international relations and Chinese Studies. Sara’s research within the project focuses on the political economy of China and the strategies and tools of Chinese economic statecraft.
Merel Jacobs
Merel Jacobs is a researcher at the Royal Military Academy. Her work is part of the EMPORIA project, focusing on maritime security and the interplay between economic nationalism and maritime strategies. She examines themes such as sea power, foreign policy, (national) naval security, human resilience and blue economy.
Tijs ter Haar
Tijs ter Haar is a researcher at the Royal Military Academy. His research focuses on maritime security and its role in foreign policy, with special attention for developments in this field regarding the EU and European countries, as well as a particular geographical interest in the security of the Indo-Pacific region.