This report from UK think tank RUSI underscores the need for integrated approaches to peacebuilding, development and security in the borderlands. This paper provides critical insights into the complex dynamics of instability in the Kenya–Somalia–Ethiopia borderlands, drawing on findings from the Deris Wanaag project's research conference held in Nairobi in February 2026. ​The conference brought...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies demonstrates that democracy delivers development better than other regimes. Democracy is in crisis. Anti-democratic politicians and anti-rights movements are becoming more popular. Simultaneously, growing inequality around the world – a product of neoliberal capitalist societies – has left millions of people feeling left behind...

This report from UK think tank the Coalition of Global Prosperity explores how Russia is using disinformation to set the foundation for future aggression in Europe. Disinformation and propaganda have been central to Russian strategy for more than a century. Notwithstanding technological developments and shifting political dynamics, Russia’s contemporary information campaigns exhibit striking similarities to...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies conceptualises gender backlash as a multidimensional attack on gender equality. This report distils six years of collaborative research (from late 2019 to early 2026) from the IDS-led Countering Backlash programme, by IDS itself and 11 partners across seven countries on how contemporary gender backlash...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies warns that surveillance is violating citizens' freedoms and their human right to privacy. This report provides the most comprehensive account to date of smart city surveillance in Africa. Expert researchers draw on their contextual experience of their own countries in detailed reports on Algeria,...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines how hostile states exploit far-right gender and identity narratives to polarise societies and weaken democracies. This paper highlights the critical intersection between hostile state actors and transnational far-right movements, revealing how gender and identity-based narratives are weaponised to polarise societies, weaken democratic institutions and disrupt international alliances....

This report from UK think tank RUSI stresses the need to integrate preventing and countering VE across development and security coverage. By contextualising violent extremism (VE) within broader conflict systems, this paper stresses the need to integrate preventing and countering VE across development and security coverage. Despite several conceptual and operational barriers, this approach would...

This report from UK think tank ECFR looks at how France and the UK can use their satellite terminals to provide internet access to Iranians. Tehran has used a communications blackout to suppress nationwide protests and control information flows. French and UK governments can use their own satellite terminals to provide Iranians with independent internet...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House proposes a three-year roadmap for security sector and governance reforms. Haiti’s security crisis continues unabated, with a combination of gang violence, a weak state and underfunded multilateral intervention prolonging instability. To compound the political challenges, the expiry of the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate in February 2026 could...

This report from UK think tank Bright Blue analyses the relationship between the asylum and modern slavery systems before proposing new policies to lessen modern slavery cases. ‘Modern slavery’ is a hidden but pervasive crime that disproportionately affects vulnerable people, especially asylum seekers, who become trapped in cycles of coercion and abuse. While exact numbers...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines striking the balance between rights-based and technocratic approaches. Climate governance in the Middle East and North Africa will play a significant role in shaping the region’s political stability and economic resilience as climate impacts intensify and the global energy transition accelerates. MENA governments are under growing...

This report from UK think tank the International Institute for Environment and Development looks at tracking finance for community climate action. Local communities are directly affected by the impacts of climate change and are essential to developing and implementing effective responses. As a result, it has never been more important to understand, track and measure...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines how the government can best respond to the security and geopolitical risks of this new era of aid scarcity. The crisis in the global system of foreign aid is a problem for the effectiveness of the UK’s own aid strategy. By 2026, global aid is expected...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at countering cascading risks with enhanced monitoring and response preparedness. Extreme weather events and turbulent geopolitics are severely impacting global food security. While there are monitoring mechanisms in use for certain single hazards (e.g. flooding) that can impact food production, these systems often have a narrow...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society discusses the future of aid in an uncertain world. The postwar international order is breaking down – and with it, the international aid system. In particular, important donor countries, including the US and UK, have reduced the amount of development support they provide. The shock of...