Policy area: International relations

Reports

Winning the peace

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at why Britain and the West must act now to help rebuild Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to an unprecedented crisis across the world and caused challenges to the global order not seen since World War II. In its latest...

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Human rights diplomacy

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at how to navigate an era of polarization between great powers. In an era of increasing polarization between great powers, and amid profound and overlapping global challenges, principled leadership and careful diplomacy on human rights are urgently needed. The norms and tools of the multilateral human...

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Coordinating international responses to Ethiopia–Sudan tensions

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at the domestic contexts in Ethiopia and Sudan and the contentious cross-border issues. Political transitions in Ethiopia and Sudan offered the promise of more democratic, civilian-led government and increased regional stability in the Horn of Africa. But contestation between old and new political forces has disrupted...

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The EU and Turkey after the elections

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at the prospects for the EU-Turkey relationship after the Turkish elections. Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 14th, will determine whether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remains in power and will profoundly influence the relationship between the EU and Turkey, which has...

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The Abraham Accords and Israel–UAE normalization

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at shaping a new Middle East. Since the Abraham Accords were signed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain in September 2020, relations between Israel and the UAE have evolved quickly. Normalization of Israel–UAE relations has enhanced the international and regional standing of both...

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Rare earths

This report from UK think tank the BFPG looks at the case for closer trading relations between the UK and Vietnam. In the current context, where China is seen by the UK government as an ‘epoch-defining challenge’ there are clear reasons for working with other powers in the region to reduce the UK’s supply chain...

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Zambia’s developing international relations

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at the latest developments in Zambia’s international relations. In recent years, Zambia has changed its approach to international relations. The administration of President Hakainde Hichilema, elected in August 2021, has revived the country’s relationships with key Western partners, while maintaining links with China and the wider...

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Outcompeting strategic challengers

This report from UK think tank the Coalition for Global Prosperity looks at the case of China in Africa. Both the original Integrated Review (IR21) and the recently published refresh (IR23) are right to identify China’s rise and increasingly assertive global role as the most significant change to the geopolitical context in the 21st century....

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China’s increasing influence in the Commonwealth of Nations

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at China and a triad of trade, diplomacy, and military relations. The UK has a unique post-Brexit opportunity to re-engage with its Commonwealth partners, forge new and exciting trading relationships – and where it has already done so, to build and capitalise on these with new security...

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Why still pro-Russia?

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at making sense of Hungary's and Serbia's Russia stance. In this report, Professor Dr Marlene Laruelle and Dr Helena Ivanov investigate the level and underlying causes of pro-Russian sentiment in Serbia and Hungary. Both countries have been noted for their approach to Russia’s invasion...

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Identity and influence

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at how the rule of law could strengthen British national identity and maintain UK soft power. This report from Social Market Foundation think-tank looks present steps to restabilising the rule of law in the UK, to strengthen internal unity and ensuring that it remains...

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Malign interference in Southeast Asia

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at Southeast Asian countries’ understanding of and experiences with foreign state interference. This paper provides a succinct macro-survey of Southeast Asian countries’ understanding of and experiences with foreign state interference, given that strategic competition is increasingly taking place in the ‘grey zone’ and between states, with an...

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Northern Europe, the Arctic and the Baltic: the ISR gap

This report from UK think tank IISS looks at the funding levels and plans of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance investments of key NATO member states. This IISS research paper assesses the funding levels, strategies, plans and programmes associated with the multi-domain (space, air, land, sea and cyber) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) investments of key...

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Transatlantic cooperation on the Indo-Pacific

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at the factors enabling or inhibiting transatlantic cooperation. With the global economic and strategic centre of gravity shifting eastwards, both Europe and the US are unsurprisingly placing greater focus on the Indo-Pacific. Their respective approaches to the region often overlap but diverge on significant points. These...

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A new security order in the Black Sea: the role of Georgia

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at Moscow’s approach to the Black Sea region and Georgia’s role within Russian strategic thinking. Russia's War against Ukraine has fundamentally destabilised the Black Sea region and caused greater insecurity among the littoral states. The militarisation of the Black Sea as well as Russia’s ambitions to strengthen...

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