Areas of Expertise: Japanese studies (area studies), Japan’s foreign and security policy, major power relations in the Indo-Pacific, EU-Asia relations, Asia-Europe connectivity
Languages: English, Dutch, Japanese (working languages), German, French, Finnish (basic skills)
Dr Bart Gaens is also Senior Research Fellow in the Global Security and Governance Research Programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki. In addition, he holds the title of Docent at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki. In the past he has worked as Project Director for FIIA’s Centre on US Politics and Power (CUSPP), as Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Helsinki, and as Specially-Appointed Associate Professor at Osaka University, Japan. He has published widely on Japan’s foreign policy and regional role; Europe-Asia inter-regionalism and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process; India’s foreign policy and relations with the EU; domestic politics in Myanmar; and security-related issues in the Indo-Pacific region. He has also (co-)edited volumes and reports on connectivity, EU-Asia relations, the US-China rivalry, transatlantic relations, and Japan’s search for strategic partnerships.
Selected publications:
- Gaens, Bart. Japan’s Multi-layered Security Strategy: Deterrence, Coalition-building and Economic Security. FIIA Briefing Paper 382, February 2024. https://www.fiia.fi/en/publication/japans-multi-layered-security-strategy
- Gaens, Bart. The EU-Japan Connectivity Partnership: Roadways and Roadblocks. Trames. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol. 27, No 3, 2023. https://kirj.ee/trames-publications/?filter%5Byear%5D=2023&filter%5Bissue%5D=1473&filter%5Bpublication%5D=12690&v=f0aa03aaca95
- Gaens, Bart; Sinkkonen, Ville and Vogt, Henri. Connectivity and Order: an Analytical Framework. East Asia 40, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-023-09401-z
- Gaens, Bart and Sinkkonen, Ville. Contentious Connectivity—the USA, Japan, and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. East Asia 40, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-023-09407-7
- Gaens, Bart. Taking Europe-Asia Connectivity to the Arctic: Cooperation between the EU and Japan” in Gaens, Bart; Jüris, Frank and Raik, Kristi (eds). Nordic-Baltic Connectivity with Asia via the Arctic: Assessing Opportunities and Risks. EFPI/ICDS Report, September 2021. https://icds.ee/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ICDS_EFPI_Book_Nordic-Baltic_Connectivity_with-Asia_via_the_Arctic_Gaens_Juris_Raik_September_2021.pdf
- Gaens, Bart and Sinkkonen, Ville. Introduction: The Many Faces of Great-Power Competition. In Gaens, Bart and Sinkkonen, Ville (eds). Great-Power Competition and the Rising US-China Rivalry – Towards a New Normal? FIIA Report 66, September 2020. https://www.fiia.fi/en/publication/great-power-competition-and-the-rising-us-china-rivalry
- Gaens, Bart and Mattlin, Mikael. Development Lending as Financial Statecraft? A Comparative Exploration of the Practices of China and Japan. In Wigell, Mikael; Scholvin, Sören and Aaltola, Mika (eds). Geo-economics and Power Politics in the 21st Century: The Revival of Economic Statecraft. London: Routledge, 2018. https://www.routledge.com/Geo-economics-and-Power-Politics-in-the-21st-Century-The-Revival-of-Economic/Wigell-Scholvin-Aaltola/p/book/9780815397304
- Gaens, Bart. Japan’s Evolving Regional Security Policy: The Quest for Strategic Partnerships. In Khandekar, Gauri and Gaens, Bart (eds). Japan’s Search for Strategic Security Partnerships. London: Routledge, 2018. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315672359-2/japan-evolving-regional-security-policy-bart-gaens
- Eisentraut, Sophie and Gaens, Bart. The US-Japan-India-Australia Quadrilateral Security Dialogue: Indo-Pacific Alignment or Foam in the Ocean? FIIA Briefing Paper 239, May 2018. https://www.fiia.fi/en/publication/the-us-japan-india-australia-quadrilateral-security-dialogue
- Gaens, Bart. Comparing Japan and the European Union: The Development Cooperation Policies of Two Civilian Powers”, in Asplund, Andre and Söderberg, Marie (eds). Japanese Development Cooperation. The Making of an Aid Architecture Pivoting to Asia. London: Routledge, 2017. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315407746-19/comparing-japan-european-union-development-cooperation-policies-two-civilian-powers-bart-gaens
