Bert De Vroey

Speaker
Dutch
Bert De Vroey

Who is Bert De Vroey?

Bert has been following world trends for over 30 years. First as a reporter for Radio 1, travelling to Africa and Brazil, later as a journalist for the VRT news service where he specialised in the US. In the book The Colours of America, Bert compiled his insights on diversity in the US. Meanwhile, his focus on migration in Europe grew, especially after the 2015 refugee crisis. Radio taught him clear storytelling, television made him look sharper. He makes complex topics understandable, without oversimplifying.

Bert acts as moderator or interviewer at debates, book readings or talk cafes, whenever - from far or near - international politics or migration are at stake.

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  • The struggle for power and superpower status: Toll gates, tariffs, raw materials and weaponry

    During his second term in office, US President Donald Trump has fundamentally shaken up international relations. It is no longer legal rules, old treaties or multilateral institutions that shape relations between countries; instead, Trump speaks the language of power and coercion. In addition to his military superiority, he also employs economic pressure, such as tariffs or blockades, to force hostile regimes (such as Iran, Venezuela or Cuba) to yield.

    Behind these regional conflicts lies a broader power struggle: that between the US and China. Not only is Chinese influence being curtailed in the Western Hemisphere, but the oil blockades also pose a serious economic problem for China.

    Yet China has already demonstrated that it too possesses economic weapons capable of hitting the US, in the form of rare earth elements and other critical minerals. 

    Have we once again entered a world of toll gates and tariffs, of state-sponsored piracy and a frenzied hunt for raw materials? What role do energy sources play in the latest geopolitical developments – from oil and gas to magnets for wind turbines? And how is the rivalry between superpowers further driven by technological developments in the defence industry, AI and data centres? 

    In a 90-minute lecture, journalist Bert De Vroey will guide you through the geo-economic and geopolitical power struggles of our time. 

  • Trump is changing the world

    After barely a year, it is clear that Trump's second administration is pursuing radically different domestic and foreign policies. Trump's diplomacy is a constant exercise in power play: he constantly puts pressure on friends and foes, allies and rivals alike, to promote American interests. The president unabashedly mixes economic and political discussions. Nothing for nothing and everything is negotiable: these are the principles of foreign policy. Traditional rules of trade conflicts are ignored. And values such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights are hardly a guideline for the White House anymore. 

    This Trumpian approach is leaving its mark on the policies of other countries. European allies are looking the other way when America openly flouts international law or human rights. Companies are adjusting their course to gain more opportunities in the US, or shifting investments from Europe to America. Countries are revising plans and alliances in line with Trump's wish list. Climate targets are being scaled back more and more. Defence spending is rising spectacularly, leading to a new arms race. The rivalry between the US and the superpower China is becoming increasingly apparent and is colouring international relations. And no alliance seems certain anymore: with Trump, everything can shift and change. President Trump is not only changing the US, he is changing

    Bert De Vroey has been a journalist with the VRT news service (VRTNWS) for more than thirty years. He has been closely following American politics since 2000. In a lecture lasting approximately one and a half hours, he points out the signs of the Trumpian shift in world politics.