Reports
Rethinking UK aid policy in an era of global funding cuts
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...
Russia’s malicious migration: Predicting the use of instrumentalised migration against NATO and the EU
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines whether there are conditions under which instrumentalised migration is more likely to be used. Russia’s war in Ukraine has unleashed brutality that Europe has not seen for decades. In addition to conventional war, new tactics and technologies have been used, such as drones and...
China and Europe: Can the EU and the UK find a shared strategy?
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform focuses on trade, technology and geopolitics. The UK and the EU both recognise that China is a rival and that it is promoting its authoritarian model of governance globally. Neither has drawn the policy consequences from their analysis. They need to co-operate in showing...
Will economic policy win China friends in the Global South?
This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines the importance of trade ‘rebalancing’ for Beijing’s strategic ambitions. If China hopes to cultivate closer economic and political links in the Global South by capitalizing, perhaps, on a backlash against US protectionism and foreign aid cuts, the task may be harder than it seems. In theory,...
How Russia’s war in Ukraine is creating domestic security gaps
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines how the war has left Russia increasingly vulnerable at home. The war in Ukraine has diverted Russia’s resources and attention away from its own critical domestic security issues, creating uneven gaps in its ability to address terrorism, corruption, regional instability and the return of fighters from the...
Universities’ role in global conflict
This report from UK think tank HEPI argues the UK universities must be recognised as central pillars of national security and resilience. The Wartime University: The role of Higher Education in Civil Readiness by Gary Fisher argues UK universities must be recognised as central pillars of national security and resilience. The paper highlights how higher...
ICJ climate opinion: implications for investment treaties
This report from UK think tank IIED unpacks what the advisory opinion means for international investment law. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its advisory opinion on the ‘Obligations of states in respect of climate change’. The opinion confirms that states have legally binding obligations to protect the climate system and...
Alternative financial systems and the reshaping of global finance
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines why more states and other actors are turning to alternative financial systems. A desire for autonomy, necessity, and opportunity are reshaping global financial systems and reducing longstanding Western influence and control – it’s not too late to act. The central conclusion is that the longstanding dominance of...
Can Europe save Ukraine – and itself – from Putin and Trump?
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform asks whether Europe can save Ukraine and itself from Putin and Trump. If European leaders do not want to confront Russian forces on NATO territory, they will have to do so in Ukraine, even without US backing. That is the conclusion of a new...
Jordan and the UK: An anchor of stability in a volatile region
This report from UK think tank the Coalition for Global Prosperity sets out why supporting Jordan is a strategic necessity for the UK. Jordan has long been one of the UK’s most important allies in the Middle East. Despite immense pressures – from hosting millions of refugees and coping with water scarcity, to confronting regional...
Playing to our strengths: The future of the UK’s soft power in foreign policy
This report from UK think tank the Foreign Policy Centre proposes a way for the UK Government to develop and implement a soft power strategy as a central component of its foreign policy. In today’s fractious world, soft power has increasingly become a critical tool for states seeking to maintain or expand their influence, and...
European defence autonomy
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society identifies key companies and projects to replace US capabilities. Europe’s growing interest in diversifying away from US defence systems is rooted in strategic unease. The Ukraine war has reignited discussions on European defence integration, yet tensions persist between the financial costs and national autonomy such...
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – separating the truth from the lies
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society shares insights gleaned from personal observations of a full aid distribution period in Gaza. On 28th July 2025, in the middle of a raging international debate around aid and alleged starvation in Gaza, I was granted unprecedented access to Gaza and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation...
A new playbook: Making sanctions more effective
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines how to make sanctions more effective. Economic sanctions have become a cornerstone of modern international diplomacy, increasingly employed by governments around the world to advance a wide range of foreign policy objectives – from deterring armed conflict to disrupting illicit financial flows and combatting...
Understanding Russia’s Black Sea strategy
This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores how to strengthen Europe and NATO’s approach to the region. For the best part of two decades, Europe and NATO have underestimated Russia and its motivation to dominate the Black Sea region. Understanding the patterns of consistency and adaptation in Moscow’s Black Sea posture is essential...