Jan Balliauw

Speaker
Dutch
English
Photo of Jan Balliauw

Who is Jan Balliauw?

Jan was a regular visitor to the Soviet Union, even back in the Communism era. His job was to produce reports for the Dutch public broadcaster, VPRO radio. As a correspondent in Saint Petersburg and Moscow for Flemish public broadcaster VRT, he took a front-row seat for the break-up of the Soviet Union.

He experienced how Russia evolved from a potential partner for the West into an unreliable neighbour. Thanks to countless reports from all parts of Russia, but also from Kiev, East Ukraine, Crimea and former war zones in the former Yugoslavia, he is a leading specialist when it comes to East-West relations. However, Jan also pays very close attention to the geopolitical twists and turns caused by the election of President Trump, and warns of an uncertain future for Western Europe.

Jan has written about his experience as ‘special correspondent’ for radio and TV in a book, and also produced an impressive TV documentary for the VRT about the state of affairs 20 years after the break-up of the Soviet Union. But he also likes to treat live audiences to his insights into the recent political history of the European continent. Even though this report may not be very reassuring to our small countries, it is certainly a fascinating experience.

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    Russia and the West: tension and confrontation

    Jan's lecture takes a closer look at how the current crisis started and what consequences it is having for relations between Russia and the West. He also explains the strategy used by Russia (often referred to as ‘hybrid warfare’ in the West), what consequences this strategy has had thus far and how the West has responded to it. He also describes the unexpected consequences of Donald Trump being elected President of the United States and how member states of the European Union should best deal with their new assertive neighbour in the east.

    Geopolitical chaos

    During this lecture, Jan uses recent history to highlight developments in Europe's various past alliances and the destructive consequences that competition between these alliances has had on the European continent.
    When the Cold War came to an end, the West regarded Russia as a partner. But the crisis in Ukraine presents a threat to safety in Europe. The West no longer trusts Russia after it decided to use its army to annex Crimea. Russia no longer trusts the West because - according to Moscow - it is using civil uprisings to harm Russian interests. This confrontation is hindering economic growth in Europe. And since President Trump came to power in the US, Europe can no longer rely on America to resolve its security issues. Other countries are exploiting the vacuum left by the US, to play a bigger role in our new multi-polar world. And countries in the European Union are at risk of feeling the brunt of these developments.