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,...

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...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at why the current sanctions regime is failing and how to fix it. Russia is the world’s most sanctioned country, but the current regime of sanctions has largely failed to achieve its aim of constraining Russia’s ability to wage war. Following the Alaska meeting between US...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House argues in favour of using Britain’s alliances and networks for greater impact. Although UK foreign policy has for some time acknowledged the Indo-Pacific’s importance to Britain’s long-term interests, the government has yet to articulate and instrumentalize a sufficiently coherent approach to the region. Worries over European security,...

This report from UK think tank the British Foreign Policy Group explores the British public’s opinion on foreign policy and global affairs. BFPG’s 2025 Annual Survey, the seventh iteration of the survey which began in 2019, finds that public support for the ‘special relationship’ has collapsed, with President Trump seen to be undermining the UK’s...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores why and how many sanctions fail, and what to do about it. Sanctions are a key instrument of foreign policy and economic statecraft, applied with increasing frequency by the US, the UK and the EU. Given the growing prevalence of these tools, there are mounting concerns...

This report from UK think tank RUSI provides an initial scoping review of VCM features that expose them to corruption risk. The Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), designed to channel finance towards environmental preservation and help countries meet net-zero targets through the trading of carbon offsets, are facing significant challenges due to widespread allegations of weak...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at creating an easier trade environment for SME e-commerce exporters. The new government has put increasing economic growth at the heart of its agenda. One way of boosting the UK’s economic performance is by increasing exports. This report presents the best ways to deliver...

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,...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at what's holding back European electricity trade. More electricity trade is urgently needed to curtail Europe’s risky dependence on gas imports – from Russia, the US and the Gulf – and to speed the transition to net zero. UK offshore wind will be...

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...

This report from UK think tank IIED is a handbook for practitioners working in the social protection or fisheries sectors. This Handbook is for practitioners working in the social protection or fisheries sectors searching for innovative ways to promote sustainable fisheries and reduce human vulnerability. Amid a global decline in fish stocks, countries face challenges...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Development Studies provides a framing for an inclusive lens on AfT to enable more inclusive policy and programming. In a rapidly evolving global trade and development landscape, addressing trade-related challenges through aid for trade (AfT) remains highly relevant. The World Trade Organization–Organisation for Economic Co-operation and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs argues that the UK should use its offshore network to embrace financial and technological innovation. Territories (CDOTs) are not a 'Second Empire' of illicit finance, but indispensable pillars of the UK’s economic strength. Far from being strategic liabilities, these jurisdictions act as sophisticated conduits...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies investigates the effects of India's termination from the US' GSP. This paper investigates the sudden 2019 termination by the United States Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) of trade with India as a quasi-natural experiment. Given the re-election of Donald Trump and global concerns about...