Roundtable hosted by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), the University of Lancaster’s SEPAD Project and the Foreign Policy Centre   On 8th December 2024, a coalition of armed opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad, marking the end of the Assad family’s over 50 year rule in Syria. The country has now entered a pivotal phase of transition, with an ...

  The Middle East is in the midst of a geopolitical crisis. On Friday 13th June, Israel launched an attack on Iran and escalations have led to a war between the two long standing enemies. Bombs and missiles have been exchanged and Israel has attacked central parts of Iran’s nuclear programme. Casualties in Iran and Israel grow. After speculation whether the US would become directly involved, on Saturday 21st July ...

    Europe finds itself at a time of great geopolitical challenge, and Central Europe is in the eye of the storm. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia border Ukraine, but are at odds in what the right response to Putin’s war of aggression is, while Hungary in particular is also increasingly at odds with EU policy towards the USA and Israel.   Attitudes towards Russia and also the US are the ...

  The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), together with the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project based at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute are working together to host a one-day, in-person conference on ‘The Future of the Middle East’ This event will bring together academics, experts, civil society, policymakers and parliamentarians to share perspectives on the future of the Gulf-MENA and how the UK Government can approach the region.   More information ...

  Since his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Trump has moved much more aggressively to transform policy than in his first term, both at home and abroad. Sweeping changes, including the dismantling of USAID, drastic shifts in US policy toward Ukraine, the threatened annexation of Greenland and Canada, and escalating tariffs have had global reverberations. At home, Trump has mounted an unprecedented challenge to constitutional checks on his power. ...

  Screening of the film “Uncontrolled: Journalism under Surveillance,” (Sin control: periodismo bajo vigilancia) about the use of Pegasus spyware against journalists in Latin America, followed by a Q&A with the film’s director Jonathan Bock, Executive Director of FLIP, Colombia.   Synopsis: In the last decade, States have acquired sophisticated surveillance tools that are installed in cell phones and other devices and can access cameras, microphones, information and private documents ...

In collaboration with the Lau China Institute, King’s College London and the Bertelsmann Foundation, we are excited to announce the first UK screening of the new documentary-film ‘Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals’.   Join us from 18.30-20:15 on Wednesday 12th February 2025 at Bush House Auditorium for the screening & panel discussion with experts – including: Sam George, Director and Producer, ‘Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals’; Anna Chernova, Senior Research Fellow at Foreign Policy Centre; ...

  The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), the Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) are pleased to announce the inaugural UK Media Freedom  Forum will take place on Tuesday 04 and Wednesday 05 March 2025, in partnership with City St George’s, University of London.   We are delighted that the Forum is being realised in cooperation with the Safety of journalists platform of ...

  By the end of 2024, significant elections will have taken place in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and at the European Parliament. Meanwhile, Irish citizens will go to the polls no later than March 2025 for a general election. The collective outcomes of these elections will undoubtedly have an impact on an already fraught global landscape and the extent to which these countries individually, or collectively, ...

Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have proliferated globally, often deployed by those trying to shut down investigations into corruption. These abusive legal actions can stop stories in their tracks, punish journalists/activists and delay or prevent wrongdoing from coming to light. This workshop will highlight SLAPP cases, as well as profile the work of UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition and the Coalition against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), which has already resulted in ...