Eva Michaels
Senior Fellow
Assistant Professor, Leiden University
Contact data
Biography
Eva Michaels is a Senior Fellow at IBEI and an Assistant Professor at Leiden University’s Institute of Security and Global Affairs. Prior experience included working as a Beatriu de Pinós Research Fellow at IBEI, a Research Associate at King’s College London and with think tanks in London, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Brussels and Johannesburg.
Her research is situated at the intersection of European security, Intelligence Studies and International Relations. It explores how Europeans anticipate and respond to crises due to the escalation of violent conflict. Focusing on recent cases (e.g. Russia’s war on Ukraine and the fall of Kabul), Eva is interested in discussions about strategic surprise, the performance of knowledge producers and decision-makers, and experiences of failure in the intelligence-policy interface. Another research stream investigates how EU rhetoric on security and defence meets domestic realities in EU member states.
Eva is a co-editor of Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaking (Edinburgh University Press, 2022). Further research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Integration, European Security, Intelligence and National Security and Media, War & Conflict. Eva is also committed to knowledge exchange beyond academia by regularly providing media commentary and engaging in practitioner-academic dialogues and public seminars.
Background and education
- (2016) PhD in War Studies, King's College London
- (2006) 'Magister Artium' (combined MA and BA) in Politics, Modern History and Law; University of Potsdam
Awards
- 2021. Beatriu de Pinós Fellowship
- 2008. Clausewitz Gesellschaft, award and publishing grant for young scholars in Strategic Studies
Professional memberships & affiliations
- European International Studies Association (EISA)
- International Studies Association (ISA)
- University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES)
- Women's Intelligence Network (WIN)
- Observatory of European Foreign Policy
Research
Research interests
- European Union Foreign and Security Policy
- Intelligence-policy nexus in European crisis responses
- International Relations Theory
Selected publications
- 2024.(Not) Coming of age? Unpacking the European Union’s quest for strategic autonomy in security and defence.European Security,33(3):383-405Link
- 2024.Caught off guard? Evaluating how external experts in Germany warned about Russia’s war on Ukraine.Intelligence and National Security,39(3):420-442Link
- 2023.European Strategic Autonomy 2.0: What Europe Needs to get Right.Strategic Europe,Carnegie EuropeLink
- 2022.How Surprising was ISIS’ Rise to Power for the German Intelligence Community? Reconstructing Estimates of Likelihood Prior to the Fall of Mosul.Intelligence and National Security,37(2):157-176Link
- 2022.Renewing Realist Constructivism: Does It Have Potential as a Theory of Foreign Policy?.Teoria Polityki,No. 6/2022:101-122Link
- 2022.Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaking. Learning Lessons from an Era of Surprise.Edinburgh University Press.Link
- 2022.Unpacking National Parliamentary Perceptions of CSDP Operations, 2016-2021.ENGAGE Working Paper Series,8Link
- 2021.What Lessons to Learn for Intelligence Production and Use in German Foreign Policy from ISIS’ Rise to Power and Russia’s Actions in Ukraine in 2013-2014?.The Policy Institute,King’s College LondonLink
- 2021.Evaluating the National Acceptability of EU External Action: Conceptual Framework for the ENGAGE Project.ENGAGE Working Paper Series,No.2. Produced for the European Commission:29 ppLink
- 2018.How Do Non-Governmental Organizations Influence Media Coverage of Conflict? The Case of the Syrian Conflict, 2011-2014.Media, War & Conflict,11(1):149-171Link