The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies is pleased to present:
“European Security and Transatlantic Relations after the Pivot”
with Dr. Luis Simón
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for European Studies, Free University of Brussels
and Dr. Alexander Mattelaer
Assistant Director, Institute for European Studies, Free University of Brussels
moderated by Dr. Richard Betts
This event is free and open to the public.
The transatlantic relationship is facing new challenges. The US plans important defense budget cuts and is in the process of rebalancing its strategic attention towards Asia. At the same time, a wave of instability assails the broader Middle East and NATO plans its departure from Afghanistan. Will Europeans assume a greater role in providing security in their own neighborhood as the US continues to pivot eastward? Will America’s shift eastward result in a more or less strategically united Europe? What role will NATO play in an environment defined by increasing instability in the broader European neighborhood and by a displacement of the fulcrum of global power towards the Asia-Pacific region? This seminar will address these questions.
Dr. Luis Simón will discuss the impact of America’s eastwards geostrategic reorientation upon the geopolitics of Europe and its broader neighborhood and upon European grand strategy. Dr. Alexander Mattelaer will discuss the evolution of NATO and consider its changing role as a vehicle for multinational defense planning.
Bios:
Dr. Luis Simón is a Visiting Fellow at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies (Columbia University) and postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for European Studies (Free University of Brussels). His research interests include geopolitics, European security and transatlantic relations. He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of London and a Masters Degree in European Politics from the Institute d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).
Dr. Alexander Mattelaer is Assistant Director of the Institute for European Studies at Free University of Brussels. His research interests include European security, military strategy and transatlantic relations. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Free University of Brussels and a Masters Degree in European Politics from the University of Bath.
