Policy area: International relations

Reports

Strategic security: the case for a new paradigm for national security

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society suggests a pivot to ‘securitisation’ as a new national security paradigm. We need a new doctrine for a new world. With more global instability than at any time since the Second World War, we are faced with challenges that are not only of a different...

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How the UK and the EU can deepen defence co-operation

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform assesses the state of UK-EU defence co-operation. The UK and the EU face daunting common security challenges. However, EU-UK defence co-operation remains limited and the UK’s defence relationship with the EU is shallower than that of many other non-EU partners. Labour’s idea of a...

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The geopolitics of critical minerals

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines the geopolitics of critical minerals. The average global citizen rarely thinks or talks much about rare earth elements (REEs). However, these 17 metallic elements are indispensable to everyday life, forming the backbone of high-tech devices such as mobile phones, cameras, computer hard drives and...

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‘There was nothing to do but take action’: The encampments protesting for Palestine and the response to them

This report from UK think tank HEPI investigates the UK university encampments protesting for Palestine and the response to them. This report investigates the establishment of pro-Palestinian protest encampments at 36 UK universities during the 2023/24 academic year, analysing their motivations, structure and impact and the responses to them by institutions and students’ unions. It...

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Did Wagner succeed in the eyes of its African and Middle Eastern clients?

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at the Wagner Group from the perspective of its African and Middle Eastern clients. This Whitehall Report looks at the Wagner Group from the perspective of its African and Middle Eastern clients, focusing on four case studies: Mali, the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Syria. Why did...

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Questionable counting: Analysing the death toll from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at the numbers used in reporting on the Gaza conflict. On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants launched a war on Israel. After Israel launched its military response, media outlets around the world began to report on death tolls in Gaza, frequently citing numbers from...

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The Joint Expeditionary Force and its contribution to European security

This report from UK think tank RUSI this paper provides recommendations for the UK to strengthen the Joint Expeditionary Force. As the new UK government undertakes its Strategic Defence Review, this paper provides recommendations for the UK to strengthen the Joint Expeditionary Force to increase its value to NATO and best contribute to European security....

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North Korea and Russia’s dangerous partnership

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines the threat to global security from the Kim–Putin axis and how to respond. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted a rapid escalation in cooperation between North Korea and Russia, to the point where in October 2024 North Korea was confirmed to have...

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China’s strategic options in the Euro-Atlantic

This report from UK think tank RUSI seeks to outline the likely scope of a putative presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy in and around the Euro-Atlantic in the next 15 years. This paper seeks to outline the likely scope of a putative presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy in and around the...

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The impact of a Taiwan Strait crisis on European defence

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines which US capabilities will be most relevant in a potential Taiwan crisis, as well as which are of utility both in Europe and in a Taiwan contingency. This report examines which US capabilities will be most relevant in a potential Taiwan crisis, as well as which are...

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Retying the Caucasian knot: Russia’s evolving approach to the South Caucasus

This report from UK think tank RUSI explores the challenge to Russia’s established position in the South Caucasus as the region undergoes significant change. This paper explores the challenge to Russia’s established position in the South Caucasus as the region undergoes significant change. Russia and the Euro-Atlantic community now find that their reach exceeds their...

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The rising price of freedom

This report from UK think tank the Coalition for Global Prosperity looks at what spending is needed to combat the rising threats of our era. The rising intensity and frequency of global conflicts pose a significant challenge to the UK, creating instability across borders and driving millions into humanitarian crises. These heightened geopolitical tensions are...

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International engagements on low-carbon Hydrogen

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines whether the UK could or should do more to ensure security of critical supply chains involving hydrogen. While hydrogen may play a role in the energy transition as a fuel, its main role is likely to be as an input for industrial processes and the production of...

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The military use of AI: Challenges and opportunities for Taiwan

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the challenges and opportunities Taiwan will need to consider for the military application of AI. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities Taiwan will need to consider for the military application of AI. Increasing cross-strait tensions between mainland China and Taiwan suggest the need for the latter...

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Azerbaijan’s climate leadership challenge

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines what’s at stake at COP29 and beyond. Azerbaijan hosts the UN’s 29th climate Conference of the Parties (COP29), from 11 to 22 November, at a critical moment for multilateral efforts to address climate change. Climate impacts are worsening, yet action is inadequate to the scale of...

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Related Events

27 March 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: IISS

The resurgence of inter-state tensions in the Americas in a complex geopolitical landscape

This event hosted by UK think tank IISS will explore how great-power competition is exacerbating inter-state tensions in Latin America. For decades, Latin America has largely avoided inter-state wars, with most conflicts stemming from internal struggles related to criminal economies. However, intensifying geopolitical competition between great powers in the region, economic instability and rising bilateral...

27 March 2025

Location: Online / Dockrill Room (K6.07), King's Building, King’s College London, WC2R 2LS

Think tank: RUSI

Did Wagner succeed in the eyes of its African and Middle East clients?

This event hosted by UK think tank RUSI will provide a comprehensive analysis of local perspectives on the Russian Wagner Group.  Join us for an insightful presentation by Dr Antonio Giustozzi, co-author of the newly published Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report: Did Wagner Succeed in the Eyes of its African and Middle Eastern Clients? Co-authored with Dr...

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What’s in President Biden’s foreign policy in-tray? (Part 2)

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...

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What’s in President Biden’s foreign policy in-tray? (Part 1)

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”...

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