Dr. Eric Sangar | The Statecraft Institute

Dr. Eric Sangar is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po Lille and a full member of the research unit CERAPS (University of Lille). In his personal research, he is studying the links between collective memory and foreign policy, the role of emotions in the justification of violence, and threat anticipation practices and infrastructures. He acquired a research habilitation at Sciences Po Paris in 2025 and holds a doctorate in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence.

Eric has published articles in various peer-reviewed journals such as Political Psychology, Contemporary Security Policy and Security Dialogue. He has also co-edited several collective volumes, such as Memory Fragmentation from Below and Beyond the State (Routledge, 2023) and Quantifying International Conflicts: Data on War or Data for War (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025). His latest monograph, Germany’s Grand Strategy: In Search of Lost Resonance, was published by Oxford University Press in 2026. To know more click here

Publications by Dr. Eric Sangar

Published on: October 9, 2026Commentary

Grand Strategy and Collective Memory: Lessons from Germany

grand-strategy collective-memory

An effective grand strategy is not only about political leadership but also about popular consent. Germany is an example of how shared memories of the past can give legitimacy to fundamental changes in foreign and defence policy. With increasing fragmentation of collective memory, governments will find it more difficult to generate the consensus necessary for sound strategic decision-making.