Reports
All at sea?
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform analyses UK, German and NATO/EU interests in the Nordic-Baltic region. Britain and Germany are keen to deepen defence co-operation. The two countries should work together more closely in the Nordic-Baltic region, where they have long-standing shared interests. That is the conclusion of a new...
2024 Annual Survey of UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy
This report from UK think tank the British Foreign Policy Group explores the British public’s support for the new Government’s ambitions for a ‘reconnected’ Britain. As the new Government settles in, this year’s BFPG Annual Survey of UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy, the sixth edition of the survey, explores the British public’s support for...
What next for the UK–Japan cyber partnership?
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the UK–Japan Cyber Partnership and considers the factors that determine how it functions. Agreed strategic priorities and concrete activities demonstrate that the UK–Japan Cyber Partnership has momentum. They also reflect the commitment of each country to cyber as an international policy area. The UK–Japan Cyber Partnership demonstrates...
Robin Hood in reverse
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...
Degrade and deny
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...
Decreasing rare earths dependency: how the Five Eyes alliance can minimise rare earth trading risk with China
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...
China ‘under siege’
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...
Preliminary lessons from Ukraine’s offensive operations, 2022–23
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...
Linking forces: Western support for the Russian diaspora
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...
Navigating the storm?
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...
Shaping tomorrow: a roadmap for Ukraine’s reconstruction using virtual assets
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,...
Between competition and co-operation
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...
A methodology for degrading the arms of the Russian federation
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...
Weaponisation of the FATF Standards: a guide for global civil society
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...
EU strategic communications to support sanctions against Russia
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...