This report from UK think tank RUSI outlines how the extraction of critical minerals may pose a threat to the UK's energy transition. In the report, the authors outline how the extraction of critical minerals – while being essential to enable the low-carbon transition – also “poses various environmental and human security risks, many of...

This report from UK think tank BFPG looks at the impact on security and prosperity objectives by Russian sanctions. The British Foreign Policy Group’s latest report finds that sanctions against Russia have led to a significant degree of trade diversion, are contributing to a splintering of previously globalised trade routes, into Eastern- and Western-dominated routes,...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines how Russia’s energy policy has interacted with its foreign and defence policies since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia views as a serious security threat any restriction of its access to and exploitation of oil and gas markets, either through international sanctions that prevent...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society suggests how preparations for a democratic future-Russia might begin. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its second year with no end in sight. Western military strategists and policymakers are now planning for increased weapons supplies and training for Ukrainian troops to prepare for...

This report from UK think tank RUSI analyses Saudi Arabia’s oil policy and how it interacts with the Kingdom’s domestic and foreign and security policies. Tobias outlines how oil revenues – which have historically fuelled Saudi Arabia’s social contract – are now the indispensable source of funding for the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform agenda. He...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society explores shifting the Western consensus toward ending Russia’s military threat to Ukraine and the West. The new Cold War pits a Russia-China-Iran-North Korea axis against the West. The goal of this anti-Western axis is the defeat of the US-led unipolar world that has been in...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies documents which companies are supplying which types of surveillance technology to African governments. African governments are spending over 1US$bn per year on digital surveillance technologies which are being used without adequate legal protections in ways that regularly violate citizens’ fundamental human rights. This report...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores whether a Labour government could realise a better future in the UK for refugee protection with control. Judgment on the legality of the government’s ‘Rwanda plan’ response to the irregular migrant flows across the English Channel is currently awaited from the Supreme Court. In...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines the role of natural gas in the energy trilemma. In this report we examine the role of natural gas in the Energy Trilemma, focusing specifically on the situation in the United Kingdom. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many countries found themselves in an energy...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at the consequences of Russia's war on Ukraine for climate action, food supply and energy security. Russia’s war is, first and foremost, a calamity for the people of Ukraine, with large parts of the population thrown into poverty and displacement. But both in Ukraine and around...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at practical applications for the future of the JCPOA. At the time of publication of this report, the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) is being held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, with the high-level General Debate...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies looks at the supply of surveillance technologies to Africa. African governments are spending over 1US$bn per year on digital surveillance technologies which are being used without adequate legal protections in ways that regularly violate citizens’ fundamental human rights. This report documents which companies, from...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at how to build a sustainable forum for region-wide cooperation. Unprecedented recent levels of diplomatic activity have facilitated de-escalation and greater cooperation across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Responding to geopolitical shifts, regional challenges and domestic pressures, Middle Eastern governments have been working...

This report by UK think tank Chatham House looks at how trading accountability for stability benefits elites and fails populations. In their attempts to reach political settlements among rival elites in the Middle East and elsewhere, international policymakers have repeatedly prioritized ‘stability’ over accountability. The resulting settlements (or ‘elite bargains’) have instead created and perpetuated...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at states’ perceptions of the utility and risks of offensive cyber operations. Cyberspace is now established as an important domain of national and international security. Until recently, informed and open discussion on the responsible use of offensive cyber capabilities has been constrained by high levels of...