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...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines how Iran and its networks have adapted to external pressures. Iran and its allied groups in the Middle East form a loose coalition often collectively referred to as the ‘axis of resistance’. The axis suffered significant setbacks in 2024, amid conflict with Israel and other political...

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...

This report from UK think tank RUSI seeks to understand how financial institutions' compliance systems have adapted in response to post-2022 trade restrictions on Russia. Leveraging the G7 financial system remains an important tool for preventing sanctions circumvention, but it is important for policymakers to understand – and address – the technical and practical implementation...

This report from UK think tank RUSI argues for greater mission specialisation among NATO’s European air forces to effectively deter and defeat potential Russian aggression. However, the current approach of most states attempting to field small multirole fighter fleets that has preserved apparent sovereign freedom of choice in the relatively permissive or semi-permissive operations since...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines strategies for refugee and diaspora engagement. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 caused a huge exodus of refugees, now estimated to number almost 7 million (one in six of the pre-war population). The longer the war continues, the fewer refugees are likely to return...

This report from UK think tank RUSI recommends a defence spending focus on generating armed forces capable of being a credible deterrent. The increase in UK defence spending announced on 25 February has been welcomed by many, but the focus on fractions of a percent must not be a distraction from the real issue of...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House analyses three key transit hubs to understand the development of migrant smuggling networks through Libya. Migrant smuggling is not a new phenomenon in Libya. In the post-Gaddafi period, the country has become the main corridor for illegal migration into Europe from the African continent. To date, European...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform takes stock of the EU’s involvement in defence, its challenges and its prospects. The need for Europeans to urgently strengthen their defences is clearer than ever. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has pushed European countries to raise their defence budgets significantly, but huge challenges...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...