This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at foreign aid spending in regions that are richer than parts of the UK. UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending has gone to regions of upper-middle-income countries with GDP per capita figures equal to or in excess of those reported in large parts...

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute considers potential next steps for the UK’s sanctions strategy. This paper considers potential next steps for the UK’s sanctions strategy, drawing on the academic literature and the growing evidence base to suggest what an “Economic Sanctions Strategy 2.0” might look like. In doing so, it...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society explores strategies for Five Eyes Alliance countries to diversify away from China for the importing of rare earth elements. This report explores strategies for Five Eyes Alliance countries (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to diversify away from China for...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines how the US’s hardening China policy is seen in Beijing. The China–US relationship has no doubt deteriorated in recent years. Washington’s policy of containing China through the application of restrictions on certain goods and markets, as well as China’s own economic downturn, has increased the tension...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the causes of the failure of the Ukrainian offensive in 2023 to avoid the repetition of such errors in the future. The purpose of this report is to examine the causes of the failure of the Ukrainian offensive in 2023 to avoid the repetition of such errors...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines Western support for the Russian diaspora. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has understandably focused the Western response on supporting Ukraine. However, the ‘as long as it takes’ rhetoric should have been relegated to the dustbin of slogan history and replaced with...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform sets out the risks of a second Trump presidency for the UK and the EU. As Donald Trump eyes a return to the White House, UK and EU policy-makers are bracing for disruption. A second Trump presidency would lead to extensive transatlantic turbulence. Trump’s...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines whether virtual assets can be used to facilitate donations to Ukraine’s urgent reconstruction efforts. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has left much of the country in ruins. Rallying international support for the nation’s swift recovery has therefore become a necessity. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion,...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at how to engage with China on climate. In 2019, the EU coined a new way of talking about its increasingly complex relationship with China. According to this threefold approach China is a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. When asked about...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines a methodology for degrading the arms of the Russian federation. Ukraine’s international partners have been seeking to curtail Russian defence production through the sanctioning of Russian-affiliated individuals and entities and the disruption of Russian sanctions circumvention and covert procurement of military components on the international market since...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the weaponisation of the FATF Standards. This guide endeavours to convert anecdotal evidence of abuses and misuses of the FATF system into an impartial body of research that can support existing advocacy and policymaking efforts. The standards and processes of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) are...

This report from UK think tank RUSI offers a data-driven analysis of the EU’s strategic communications on sanctions against Russia. This paper examines the question: How does the EU use strategic communications to persuade third countries to cooperate on sanctions? The paper analyses how the EU is using arguments linked to upholding values and appealing...

This report from UK think tank RUSI highlights the Taliban’s agendas and modes of operation in order to gain a better understanding of how to move forward. While international media attention is currently diverted to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the question of whether to engage with the Taliban’s de facto government remains a...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores the conditions under which countermeasures may be taken in cyberspace in line with customary international law. The emergence of information and communications technologies has reignited debates about how and when countermeasures can be used in cyberspace. Countermeasures are a well-established response mechanism available to states against...

This report from UK think tank RUSI outlines recommendations for the effective implementation of P/CVE programmes in conflict settings. Terrorism continues to take place primarily in contexts of violent conflict. According to the 2023 Global Terrorism Index, in 2022, more than 88% of terrorism-related attacks and 98% of terrorism deaths occurred in countries experiencing conflict....

President Biden arrives in office with a full foreign policy in-tray, albeit one that will have to compete for attention with myriad domestic priorities from tackling run-away virus to repairing the foundations of its own democracy. Most of America’s traditional allies will let out a huge sigh of relief that his predecessor has left the...

The Taiwan Straits maybe the most volatile point in the Asia-Pacific. Even if this thin strip of water, separating Taiwan and China, is not the site of a great power collision this year it nevertheless will be a source of tension between Beijing and Washington. The Communist Party of China claims Taiwan as “an inalienable”...