Central Asia’s vast energy resources and potential transit routes between Europe and Asia create valuable opportunities to source and transport necessary materials without reliance on Russia. Additionally, the region’s geographic position between nuclear-armed Russia, China, India, and Pakistan, as well as abutting a nuclear-aspiring Iran, makes engagement with the region an important step in establishing … Continued

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine War, various Western countries have frozen Russian assets linked to the Kremlin as a punishment for Russia’s war of aggression. The total value of these frozen Russian state assets is estimated in the region of $300 billion – with the UK portion comprising some £26 billion – and consists largely … Continued

In this vivid coming-of-age memoir, Rob Henderson recounts growing up in foster care, enlisting in the US Air Force, attending elite universities – and what he learnt from seeing life from both sides of the tracks. Rob Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother and a father he never met, ultimately shuttling between ten different … Continued

More than 75 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians have seen periodic outbreaks of hostilities and efforts to bring peace based on a two-state solution. More recently, on 7th October 2023, the Palestinian group Hamas, officially designated a terrorist group by many countries including Israel, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, … Continued

Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past, and anticipate in the future, in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world. In this deep and incisive study, General David Petraeus, the former CIA director who … Continued

The problem of state hostage taking is on the rise internationally. States such as Russia, Iran, Rwanda, China, and many others, have increasingly been utilizing hostage taking as a tool for leverage in diplomatic engagements. It has essentially become part of their foreign policy toolkit. Countries around the world are now grappling with this rising … Continued

The new Cold War pits a Russia-China-Iran-North Korea axis against the West. The goal of this anti-Western axis is the defeat of the US-led unipolar world that has been in place since the end of World War II. Hamas’ recent brutal terrorist attack against Israel, and Iran’s subsequent threats of regional escalation, have brought home … Continued

The fourth Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, was not only a trailblazer as the first and only female head of Israeli government, she was also the fourth elected female head of state worldwide. Golda left an incredible mark on history as one of the 24 signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. … Continued

As Ukraine continues its relentless struggle for survival, many have started debating the potential outcomes of the war. While European allies keep supplying the country with available military and humanitarian aid, including the pledge for long-awaited fighter jets, the United States's leadership is getting lost in the country's domestic pre-electoral differences. Aid to Ukraine has … Continued

On the 5th of November 2024 the American people will head to the polls to decide, not just the future of American democracy, but also the future of the global security environment. With Donald Trump leading the pack of Republican nominees a defeat for President Biden potentially represents a significant shift in American foreign policy and … Continued

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many Western nations imposed sanctions against it. One of the most obvious targets for action within Western countries were Russian state assets, on the principle that naked Russian state aggression justified a freezing of Russian state assets that helped the Putin regime perpetuate its illegal war. However, as … Continued

Ukraine is grappling with attempts to make gains on the battlefield before winter settles in. But the military battle is not the only front Ukraine is facing. As the world gears up for a year of elections and potential geopolitical shifts – with major votes in the US, the UK and the EU – is … Continued

To many, contemporary conservatism seems a hollowed-out creed. On the one hand authoritarian populism, on the other heartless free-market individualism, neither of which offers much to those whose sense of meaning is securely rooted in their families, communities and country. There is a better way, Danny Kruger argues. In Covenant (Forum, 31 August) the Co-chair … Continued

One of the main causes for the worldwide democratic recession is China. With its economic power under one party dictatorship, it offers a real alternative to the previous belief that the only path to modernity is liberal democracy. China has become increasingly well-versed in leveraging its economic power to coerce democracies on values-related issues. There’s a … Continued

Shanghai’s Qingpu Prison was at the centre of a forced labour scandal which came to light after revelatory reports in the press worldwide at Christmas in 2019, when it was discovered that foreign prisoners there were subjected to forced labour and had been packaging Tesco Christmas cards and Quaker oats. Efforts to investigate business arrangements and … Continued