Policy area: International relations

Reports

Why peacebuilding fails and what to do about it

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at evidence from conflict economies in the Middle East and Africa. As the world becomes geopolitically more fragmented, conflicts are increasing in complexity and number – up by almost three-quarters since the 2000s. In this shifting order, conflict is being internationalized in new ways as states,...

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Hamas’s human shield strategy in Gaza

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society provides an analysis of Hamas’s systematic use of human shield tactics during the 7 October Israel–Hamas war. Since 7 October 2023, the UN has issued 367 reports that are filed under the subject of “Gaza Strip”. A search of these reports reveals that the UN...

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The long arm of Tehran: why the UK should ban the IRGC

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society The Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sponsors terrorism as part of its mission to export the Islamic revolution around the globe via proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The UK has imposed sanctions on the IRGC and the Labour Party while in opposition...

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Nuclear facilities as targets of military attack

This report from UK think tank RUSI assesses drivers and Implications for nuclear safety. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its occupation of Ukrainian nuclear facilities has highlighted the threat that militaries can pose to nuclear installations. This paper aims to understand the operational and strategic logic of why states may use military force against nuclear...

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How China–India relations will shape Asia and the global order

This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores the main factors behind the relationship between China and India. The China–US relationship is widely regarded as the defining geopolitical issue of the 21st century. But relations between China and India arguably hold greater long-term significance for the future of Asia and the global order. These...

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Reform to conserve: a novel approach to the UK and the ECtHR via the Council of Europe

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society presents the case for reforming the European Court of Human Rights to address growing concerns over its perceived constraints on UK sovereignty. This policy paper presents a compelling case for reforming the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to address growing concerns over its perceived...

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A better life

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance highlights the green route to growth and security. The UK faces a convergence of serious challenges: rising poverty, sluggish economic growth and mounting geopolitical instability, all compounded by the escalating impacts of climate change. This publication highlights how these crises are deeply interconnected, and rather than viewing...

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Rebalancing European joint fires to deter Russia

This report from UK think tank RUSI considers the role of land-air integration in achieving the suppression and destruction of enemy air defences. NATO land forces are overwhelmingly dependent on air power for fires. Without large-scale US assistance, however, European air forces would currently struggle to roll back dense and integrated air defence systems (IADS)...

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Will EU enlargement create new models for the EU-UK relationship?

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform considers how enlargement could affect the EU-UK relationship. The enlargement process is pushing the EU to think creatively about how to work more closely with candidate countries before accession. The Union is increasingly embracing the notion of phased enlargement. In parallel, the EU is...

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Advancing the US-UK ‘special relationship’ during the second Trump presidency

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society discusses advancing the US-UK 'special relationship' during the second Trump term. The re-election of President Donald J. Trump, supported by a unified Republican Congress, signals a decisive shift in US foreign policy toward a more consolidated, ideology-driven approach under the “America First” doctrine. For the...

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Competing visions of international order

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines responses to US power in a fracturing world. The ‘liberal international order’ that has been predominant, if often controversial, since 1945 is being challenged as never before. This reflects factors both long-standing and recent: the rise of China; the frustrations and ambitions of countries – including...

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Subnational diplomacy between the UK and China

This report from UK think tank RUSI profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments. There is substantial value to establishing a UK-wide framework that enables more effective local authority engagement with China. This paper profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments....

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Gold and the war in Sudan

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at how regional solutions can support an end to conflict. The gold trade connects Sudan’s civil war to the wider region and highlights the roles that commodities play in perpetuating violent conflict. Even before the start of the civil war in 2023, Sudan’s main warring parties...

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European digital defence priorities in an uncertain world

This report from UK think tank RUSI assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and challenges facing five European states. The research, which assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and the challenges facing five European states - the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Spain – says that countries often possess robust digital technologies but struggle scaling...

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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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