Artur Usanov

Eline Chivot

João Silveira

Emily Knowles

The construction industry is one of the key economic sectors in Europe, but it was hit hard by the financial crisis. In the euro zone, employment in construction declined by a quarter since 2008. These difficult times raise important questions about the future path of the construction industry. The Briefing describes the various aspects of renovation and maintenance activities in the EU, and explores their potential to become the main growth driver for the European construction market.

The Potential of the Renovation Market

Sustainable (Re)Construction

Masuma Farooki

Marjolein de Ridder

Willem Auping

Stephanie Lingemann

Luis Tercero Espinoza

Magnus Ericsson 

Henrike Sievers

Maren Liedtke 

This report evaluates the links between coltan trade and violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and examines the potential for recent legislation to break such links and reduce conflict.

Coltan, Congo and Conflict

Sijbren de Jong

Myrthe van der Gaast

Joost Kraak

Reinier Bergema

A data analysis of the impact of a circular economy on resource-dependent developing nations

The circular economy and developing countries

Tim Sweijs

Stephan De Spiegeleire 

Willem Oosterveld 

Hannes Roos

Frank Bekkers 

Robert de Rave

Karlijn Jans 

Events unfolded once again at a swirling pace in 2016. Terrorists hit Europe’s capital in March. The British population voted for Brexit in June. Turkish armed forces failed to topple Erdoğan in July. A resurgent Russia flexed its military muscles again in the Middle East and actively interfered in American elections, in which the American population elected Trump, in November. We are worried but certainly not surprised by the volatility of contemporary international relations. In previous editions of our contribution to the Dutch government’s Strategic Monitor, we already observed a surge in assertive behavior, noted a dangerous uptick in crises, and warned for the contagiousness of political violence. The current volatility is not a coincidence, but rather the result of fundamental disturbances of the global order that are greatly amplified by rapid technological developments. Most mainstream explanations of recent turbulence focus on power transitions (the decline of the West and the rise of the rest), the concomitant return to more aggressive forms of power politics, and a backlash against globalization. What strikes us is that many of the explanations ignore what we consider one of the most striking mega trends that is reshaping the dynamics of power: the ongoing process of disintermediation. The StratMon 2016-2017 analyzes global trends in confrontation, cooperation and conflict based on different datasets. This year the report also contains case studies on Turkey, Moldova and The rise and fall of ISIS. Chapters analyzing the many faces of political violence and 'the other side of the security coin' are also included.

Artur Usanov

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