IRSD-KHID-RHID

Biography

Rodolphe van Hövell is a research fellow on Sub-Saharan African affairs at the Centre for Security and Defence Studies (CSDS). Since 2020, he has been teaching the MA-level course on the EU’s common foreign and security policy at the Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL). He is also a regular guest lecturer in international affairs at the College of Europe and the Royal Military Academy (RMA).

Between 2019 and 2022, Rodolphe was a policy advisor at the Belgian military staff, in the Strategy department (ACOS Strat), focusing his work on the EU’s common security and defence policy and other multilateral frameworks for defence cooperation. Between 2022 and 2024, within the context of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU, he was the coordinator of the security and defence programme as well as coordinator of Belgian Defence’s strategic communication.

Rodolphe holds a BA in European Studies, from the University of Maastricht as well as an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London). In 2020-2021, he had the opportunity to follow the High-Level Course from the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). In 2022, he was selected to attend the 22nd European Security Course at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).
He has joined the CSDS in July 2024.

Expertise

Sub-Saharan Africa
African geopolitics and related regional conflicts
African Armed Forces
EU’s common foreign and security policy in Africa
Institutional set-up & functioning of the EU

Publications

Vincent, Ruben & Rodolphe van Hövell. “Het Belgische voorzitterschap van de Raad van de Europese Unie, vanuit het standpunt van Defensie: hoe gaat dat in zijn werk? En wat waren de resultaten?” Belgian Military Review, no. 27 (June 2024). https://www.defence-institute.be/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/RMB-27-Ruben-VINCENT-Rodolphe-VAN-HOVELL.pdf.

van Hövell, Rodolphe & Ruben Vincent. “Présidence belge du Conseil de l’Union européenne en 2024.
Implications pour la Défense.” Belgian Military Review, no. 26 (December 2023). https://www.defence-institute.be/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/RMB%2026%20Rodolphe%20VAN%20H%C3%96VELL%20&%20Ruben%20VINCENT.pdf.