Please contact Anna Owen, Events and Research Officer

Tel: 020 7729 7566

Email: anna.owen@fpc.org.uk

21 June 2006

Dictatorship or Reform – Putin's chance to end corruption and strengthen democracy

"The sacking of Russia's top law officer gives Vladimir Putin a perfect opportunity to begin the long overdue reform of his country's undemocratic and corrupt legal system", STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), said today.

He was speaking ahead of the launch of the FPC report 'Dictatorship Or Reform? The Rule Of Law In Russia', (pdf attached) in which three experts look at how political corruption in today's Russia undermines individual rights and freedoms, and weakens monitoring of executive and legislature as well as the accountability of other levers of government.

Today's publication comes in the wake of the sacking on 2 June, of Russia's Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov, who oversaw a series of high-profile and apparently politically motivated cases, including the arrest of oil billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky on charges of tax evasion and fraud.

Stephen Twigg said:

"The rule of law is a cornerstone of democracy and essential to a well-functioning society that protects individual human rights. Yet in the six years since he pledged to uphold democracy as a "dictatorship of law", President Vladimir Putin has increased the role of the police and security services in governing Russia and wielded the power of the courts for political ends.

He added:

"Over a decade ago, the European Union signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Russia outlining the framework for future relations based on respect for democracy, the law and human rights. Putin, a lawyer by training, has failed to honour the spirit of the agreement. But the appointment of a new prosecutor general gives Russia a chance to make a fresh start on rule-of-law reform."

Distinguished experts in the field, Mary McAuley and Alena Ledeneva will suggest that Russia is in danger of returning to the Soviet model where a lack of prosecutorial independence effectively undermined the rule of law. In the words of Yelena Bonner, the widow of the country's best-known human-rights campaigner, Andrei Sakharov, Putin is "modernising Stalinism".

Putin has nominated Russia's Justice Minister Yuri Chaika to succeed Ustinov as Prosecutor General.

15 June 2006

The constitutional treaty is dead - Europe should do less, but better

SARAH SCHAEFER, Director of the Europe Programme at the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"Tony Blair must put Britain at the heart of the debate on EU reform. The constitutional treaty is dead and member states should use this summit to bury it for good. What is now needed is a clear vision by member states to create an effective, efficient, and streamlined EU that will deliver real benefits to its people. A reformed, smaller European Commission is crucial to this process.

"There is no reason why each country should have a Commissioner and they should be elected on merit not country of origin. It should do less, but in areas such as the single market and energy it should have more clearly defined powers so that it can works towards creating greater prosperity and security for all.

The Foreign Policy Centre's Commission on EU Reform was launched in April 2006 to discuss plans for a reformed EU Commission. It will publish its blueprint for reform in October.

The Commission's members are: Lord Hannay of Chiswick, Robert Jackson, Gisela Stuart MP, Neil Sherlock, Nick Clegg MP, Neena Gill MEP and Rt Hon Denis MacShane MP. It is chaired by Stephen Twigg, Director of the FPC.

Editor's Notes

• Lord Hannay was Ambassador and permanent representative to the European Communities between 1985 and 1990. He spent the next five years as an Ambassador and permanent represenetaive at the United Nations.
• Robert Jackson was the MP for Wantage from 1983 to 2005. He was a Conservative MP who defected to the Labour Party in 2005.
• Gisela Stuart is the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
• Neil Sherlock is a Senior Partner at KPMG
• Nick Clegg is the Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam and Shadow Home Affairs spokesman
• Neena Gill is Labour MEP for the West Midlands
• Rt Hon Denis MacShane, is Labour MP for Rotherham and former Europe Minister

8 June 2006

Zarqawi must not become a martyr – he was not an Iraqi and did not represent ordinary Iraqis; killing also welcomed in Jordan

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre said:

"Iraqis should shed no tears for someone who killed, maimed and tortured many innocent people in Iraq. In addition he drove a bloody wedge between the Shi'a and Sunni communities.

"However, Zarqawi must not become a martyr after his death. He was not an Iraqi and did not represent the interest of ordinary Iraqis. While the initial response may be violent and chaotic, there is hope for the long term. With a new government in place, that represents the people, this is a real opportunity to draw a line under this tragic era in Iraq's history."

RAWAN MAAYEH, Civility Programme for Middle East Reform Manager at the Foreign Policy Centre and a Jordanian national today said:

"The killing of Abu Musab al Zarqawi will be welcomed not only among Iraqi communities, but also in neighbouring Jordan where Zarqawi took responsibility for four simultaneous suicide bombing operations last November.

"Having spearheaded Al Qaeda's operation against the United States in Iraq and thus gaining the support of some within the Iraqi insurgency, Zarqawi's change of tactics to include the killing of innocents, many of whom were Shiites, incurred the anger of members of the jihadi community as well as ordinary Iraqis.

"In a televised interview on Al Jazeera last year, former fellow prison inmate and mentor, Abu Muhamed Al Maqdisi expressed unease at Zarqawi's operations in Iraq noting the disproportionate killing of Iraqi civilians compared to American soldiers. In addition, the Sunni Muslim Association Scholars noted that Zarqawi's movement has been a principal actor in perpetuating the sectarian divide in Iraq and that if "Zarqawi wanted war he should be fighting the occupation and not killing civilians" - therefore identifying a boundary between Iraqi resistance to occupation forces and the terrorism that kills innocent civilian Iraqis.

"It is too early to predict the consequences of Zarqawi's death on the level of violence in Iraq. Jihadis have proven themselves an amorphous and dynamic group and the leadership of Iraq's Al Qaeda movement could pass to another."

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

17 May 2006

MR ANTHONY BAILEY has been appointed the Chief Policy Adviser to the Board of Directors of the Foreign Policy Centre.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, said

"The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to welcome Mr Anthony Bailey as its new Chief Policy Adviser. For over 15 years Anthony has been extremely active in international and diplomatic affairs, both at home and abroad. In particular the Centre will benefit from Mr Bailey's considerable knowledge of Arab and Muslim affairs, Central and Eastern Europe and South American affairs, inter-religious dialogue and understanding, as well as bilateral cultural and education initiatives."

About Mr Anthony Bailey

Mr Anthony Bailey is Chairman of the public diplomacy firm Eligo International. He is also Chairman of the Painting & Patronage initiative and holds senior executive positions with the United Church Learning Trust, King Faisal Foundation, Constantinian Order of St George, Moroccan-British Society and the Three Faith Forum. Mr Bailey is also a member of the London Challenge Ministerial Advisory Group of the Department of Education and Skills. He has been decorated by ten countries for his professional and charitable work most recently by the Vatican City State, Morocco and Portugal.

17 May 2006

HUGH BARNES, Director of Democracy of Conflict at the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"Iran should not dismiss out of hand the offers being made by the EU-3. Although Tehran rejected an earlier package which contained technological and economic incentives in August 2005, there is a crucial difference to this proposal. It will provide some form of security guarantee for Iran in the region and the wider world.

"We acknowledge that Iran has legitimate security concerns in an unstable region. Neighbouring Pakistan, India and Israel are all nuclear-armed, and – with US troops next door in Iraq and Afghanistan – we have to persuade Iran that nuclear weapons are not essential for its safety . What the EU is proposing is just the right sort of mechanism."

ALEX BIGHAM, Head of Research for the Iran Programme at the Foreign Policy Centre said:

"The Foreign Policy Centre has been arguing for an organisation for regional security co-operation for some time now, along the lines of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). It was raised by the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in London at a recent FPC meeting. Relations with the GCC countries and other Middle Eastern powers will be crucial to bringing stability to an extraordinarily tense area of the world.

"Iran may consider the offer of a light water reactor to be insufficient. However, that is not the only thing on the table. It is in Iran's own national interest not to build nuclear weapons – and to take the offer of security guarantees. As the Russian Foreign Minister has said, Iran must respond constructively. There are big incentives on the table now, but they could soon be replaced by big disincentives."

18th April 2006

HUGH BARNES, Director of Democracy and Conflict at The Foreign Policy Centre and co-author of 'Understanding Iran', speaking ahead of the launch of the FPC's report said:

"With the Permanent 5 members of the Security Council and Germany meeting in Moscow today to discuss the situation with Iran it is vital not just that diplomacy continues but that the diplomacy is effective. Engagement can only succeed if you truly comprehend the complexities of who you are negotiating with."

ALEX BIGHAM, Head of Communications at The Foreign Policy Centre and co-author of 'Understanding Iran' said:

"One possibility is that there may be a request for sanctions coming out of the meeting in Moscow. These sanctions must be limited to issues affecting nuclear cooperation so as not to do more damage to those imposing the sanctions, or alienate ordinary people in Iran and strengthen the hands of the hardliners.

"The only long-term solution to Iran's problems is democracy, but it cannot be dictated, Iraq-style, or it will backfire. It can only be encouraged, through dialogue and open economic activity."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

16th April 2006

HUGH BARNES, Director of Democracy and Conflict at The Foreign Policy Centre and co-author of 'Understanding Iran', speaking ahead of the launch of the FPC's report said:

"The West's failure to engage successfully with Iran is due to a failure to understand the structure of the Iranian regime and the background to recent political changes.

"The diplomatic crisis sparked by Iran's nuclear programme has focussed attention on the balance of forces within the Islamic Republic. Some analysts have claimed that Iran is divided into reformers and conservatives – a gross simplification."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

10th April 2006

HUGH BARNES, Director of Democracy and Conflict at The Foreign Policy Centre and co-author of 'Understanding Iran', today said:

"A plan to attack Iran with nuclear weapons smacks not just of a deranged strategic miscalculation but of sheer hypocrisy and idiocy.

"Media coverage in recent weeks has sought to create the illusion that armed conflict is inevitable. It is neither imminent nor inevitable, nor does it seem likely to be supported by the UN Security Council. Politicians, journalists and others in the public sphere need to act in a calm and rational fashion. This hyperbolic speculation emanating from some quarters is damaging to the painstaking diplomatic negotiations.

"Both sides of this dispute are in danger of talking themselves into a war – they need to take a deep breath and calm down."

Download the full press release (40 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

16th March 2006

FPC launches Latin America work with seminar on sustainable development

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, chaired 'Enterprise in Emerging Economies – Who Can Deliver Sustainable Development?', a round-table discussion launching what the FPC hopes to be the first in a series of events and publications on Latin America.

The seminar was attended by a number of figures from the private, public and NGO sectors. Among the speakers were HE Mr Luis Solari Tudela, Peruvian Ambassador to the UK; Paul Bulcke, Nestlé's Executive Vice President for the Americas and Thiago de Aragão, a Brazilian political analyst and the FPC's new Latin America Research Associate.

Download the full press release (60 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

23rd February 2006

Power belongs to the people, but not in Uganda

JOSEPHINE OSIKENA, Director of Democracy and Development at the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"The wave of Ugandan elections will be anything but free and fair. Why should they be? Regrettably, President Yoweri Museveni appears to have lost all respect for the ballot box and, for the most part, the election results have been predetermined. Voters have either been scared off by violence and intimidation or they have become completely apathetic."

Download the full press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

31st January 2006

The Foreign Policy Centre has launched 'Russia in the Spotlight: G8 Scorecard'.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, said at the launch of the scorecard:

"In 2006 Russia holds the presidency of the G8 - a club for the world's richest, market-driven democracies – until Russia joined. The Foreign Policy Centre believes that this presidency is a significant event because it raises the old question of whether Russia is an open democracy or a free-market economy at all. "

Download the full press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

27th January 2006

The Foreign Policy Centre is pleased to announce the launch of 'Russia in the Spotlight: G8 Scorecard'.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice recently described the G8 as "a group of democracies… fully committed to free market principles, free trade, rule of law." But are those still its core values? If so, should Russia be a member of the club?

Download the full press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

23rd January 2006

Russian spy allegations - the work of manic depressives

ANDREI PIONTKOVSKY, Director of the Center for Strategic Research in Moscow, speaking at the launch of a pamphlet (East or West? Russia's Identity Crisis in Foreign Policy) published today (24 January) by the Foreign Policy Centre said, in response to the allegations of Britain funding NGOs to spy on the Russian state:

"Never before has a diagnosis of collective manic depression in the Russian political class been so methodically demonstrated."

Download the full press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

16th January 2006

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"Libya, not Iraq is the model for dealing with Iran, and bringing about a solution to the country's nuclear ambitions.

"The current coverage in the media of the crisis over Iran's moves to resume research and development of nuclear fuel is in danger of being portrayed in the same light as the build-up to the war with Iraq. While Iran's move to resume nuclear fuel research is a worrying development, there is still the opportunity for a diplomatic solution to the current crisis."

Download the full press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

3rd January 2006

Energy crisis jeopardises Europe's gas supply during coldest weeks of the year

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"The energy showdown between Russia and the Ukraine not only jeopardises Europe's gas supply during the coldest weeks of the year but also shows that Russia, the new president of the G8 group of industrialised nations, may not yet be ready to become a leader in the global market."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

3rd January 2006

MPs should take the lead in shaping Europe's future, says longest-serving Europe Minister

Speaking after the launch of a new pamphlet being published by the Foreign Policy Centre, RT HON DENIS MACSHANE MP, Former Minister for Europe, said:

"Britain's parliamentary system needs a radical overhaul to allow MPs to shape the future direction of its involvement in Europe and the EU itself"

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

6th December 2005

Cameron must not give in to right on Europe

Speaking as David Cameron was announced as the new leader of the Conservative Party, STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the FPC today said:

"I congratulate David Cameron on being elected to lead the Conservative Party.

"However, it is crucial that he does not give in to the right-wing elements in his own party on European policy."

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

1st December 2005

EU budget plans a double-whammy on developing countries – new website to expose CAP payments

Speaking as the Prime Minister began a tour of Eastern European countries to sell a deal on the EU budget, STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the FPC today said:

"The plans to resolve the EU budget negotiation are a double-whammy on developing countries. The Prime Minister is giving up his bargaining chip on CAP reform.

"The new budget being proposed by Britain would mean that less economically developed countries in Europe have fewer resources to spend on infrastructure plans such as rail and road projects vital for development and reducing poverty.

"Secondly, Tony Blair's plans to give up the British rebate in return for a smaller budget amounts to the PM losing his central bargaining chip to negotiate reform of the wasteful Common Agricultural Policy. This is another blow to countries in Africa and elsewhere who suffer from restrictive trade policies and the dumping of cheap European goods on their markets."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

30th November 2005

Britain will 'rule' the world

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"For the next month, Britain will 'rule' the world – through chairing three crucial international institutions.

"From Thursday 1st of December, Britain will have the Presidency of the UN Security Council, the European Union, and the G8. Britain must use this opportunity to bring lasting change on the global stage. This is an unprecedented chance for Britain to help achieve an agreement on increasing aid to Africa, delivering reform of the wasteful Common Agricultural Policy and reducing climate change – Tony Blair's stated priorities for Britain's Presidencies of the EU and the G8."

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

25th November 2005

EU must talk to people not just politicians

Speaking as the Foreign Policy Centre launched its pamphlet, 'European Infopolitik: Developing EU Public Diplomacy Strategy', STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the FPC today said:

"The European Union must talk to people not just politicians – both in Europe and the rest of the world.

"Much has been made of the supposed divide between 'old Europe' and the new EU member states. But a much more dangerous divide exists in 21st Century Europe: a divide between European institutions and the ordinary public both in Europe and further afield."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

13th November 2005

PM must address energy security in Lord Mayor's speech

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"The Prime Minister, Tony Blair must address one of the most pressing concerns in foreign policy – Britain's energy security when he makes his annual speech to the Lord Mayor's banquet tomorrow.

"At a time of high oil prices, with massive demand on our dwindling supplies from rising powers such as India and China, the world's energy security is one of the most pressing challenges for collective foreign policy. Britain is increasingly reliant on oil and gas resources which are primarily sourced from areas of the world which are politically unstable and from regimes which do not respect human rights or international law."

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

11th November 2005

Britain's Nuclear Future: Is Mox part of the Mix?

Venue: Committee Room 16, House of Commons

Time and Date: Tuesday 15 November from 17.00 to 18.00

With the government weighing up whether to commission a new generation of nuclear power stations with its commitments to energy security and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the FPC event Britain's Nuclear Future: Is Mox part of the Mix? will provide an opportunity to hear from different political perspectives about the future of Britain's nuclear industry. This debate will seek to answer the question: 'Is nuclear power part of Britain's secure and sustainable energy future?'

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

8th November 2005

China-EU summit tackles thorny issue of human rights

A major conference, attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Prescott MP and State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan bringing together key players from the EU and China today debated China's relations with countries who abuse human rights and break international law. The conference, organised by the Foreign Policy Centre, the Centre for European Reform and the Chinese Academy for Social Sciences was held during the state visit of the Chinese Premier, Hu Jintao.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre today said:

"China's relationship with countries such as Sudan, Iran and Zimbabwe are a worrying example of a government putting the national interest of obtaining oil ahead of the protection of human rights and the non-proliferation of WMD.

"The fact that Sudan has abused human rights in Darfur and elsewhere; Zimbabwe has systematically attacked its own citizens; and Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons while saying 'Israel should be wiped off the map' suggests that China is on very weak ground in its support for such regimes.

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

7th November 2005

2005 could be seen as first year of US-China cold war

On the eve of the state visit of the Chinese Premier, Mr Hu Jintao, STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"There is a growing risk of a new cold war between the US and China, if tensions are not averted."

"The recent slide in relations between the two countries has set alarm bells ringing amongst moderates on both sides. There is a growing risk of a descent into open geo-political rivalry. This would affect everything from global free trade to the proliferation of WMD.

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

7th November 2005

US urgently needs new strategy to tackle terrorism

Speaking as the former September 11th Commission issued its final report, STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"The Bush Administration has failed to create an integrated strategy to tackle terrorism both in the United States and abroad. The US urgently needs a new national security strategy to tackle terrorism. I urge the United States government to consider the recommendations of a report by the Center for American Progress (CAP), which we are launching today."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

1st November 2005

Obasanjo mustn't abuse democracy in Nigeria, and should step down

Increasingly, many Nigerians are concerned that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, may force through constitutional reform permitting him to serve a potential third term in office. While many believe such change would adversely affect the fledgling democracy, others believe that President Obasanjo has been a much needed stabilising force in Africa's largest and most diverse nation state. This is arguably demonstrated most recently, by the pivotal role Nigeria has played as Liberia's "big brother" in brokering a 2003 peace deal and granting asylum to Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor. As well as this, President Obasanjo's leadership has been credited for actively supporting this year's presidential elections in Liberia.

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

28th October 2005

"Not turning clocks back would save energy" says Twigg

The Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, and a former Government Minister, STEPHEN TWIGG today said:

"Turning the clocks back, as Britain will do on Sunday morning will be a move back on the need to save energy.

"By making it get dark one hour earlier, more people will be using energy – for instance by turning on lights or heating an hour earlier. It is also more dangerous for those travelling home in the dark. We need to do much more in Britain to conserve energy at a time of inflated oil prices, and potential damage to the environment."

Download the full press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

25th October 2005

"Iraq should change its name"

A leading academic and political adviser to the Kurdistan Regional Government yesterday argued that Iraq should change its official name.

At an event organised by the Foreign Policy Centre and Civility, KHALED SALIH, said:

"Because of its previous connotations, I believe Iraq should change its name. Iraq should have a new identity that disassociates itself with its colonial past and looks forward to a united future. I believe Arakurdia is a name that would unite the key constituents of Iraq – Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'as.

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

25th October 2005

New constitution must keep Iraq together - Twigg

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"I welcome today's approval by the Iraqi people of the constitution. However, this is only the beginning of a testing time for politics in Iraq.

"There is a massive challenge in Iraq, but also a great opportunity. The new constitution must not simply be a club of regions based on goodwill, but a genuine framework for integration. The central government must have a genuine budget, and not simply be reliant on the regions, and have to go cap in hand to oil producing areas."

Download the press release (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

24th October 2005, London

Europe must face the outside world – Douglas Alexander

Launching a pamphlet today entitled 'Europe in a Global Age', published by the Foreign Policy Centre, Rt Hon DOUGLAS ALEXANDER MP, Minister for Europe today said:

"Europe is coming of age. The European Union has focussed its energies inwards for the past fifty years – developing the Common Market and harmonising laws and practices across the continent. Now, however, it faces new challenges: a global market that is ever more crowded; competition ever more intense and innovative; pressures on society ever more divisive; and new forms of threats and dangers which are no longer contained largely within our border. To survive and prosper in the twenty-first century, Europe must now address its own problems from this global perspective.

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

21 October 2005

"Post-secondary education in Africa must be the focus for EU" – former Schools Minister

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, and a former Minister for School Standards today said:

"Thanks to G8 leaders, over the next 5 years the EU has $100 billion to spend on African Development. On Monday and Tuesday, Hilary Benn will meet with his EU counterparts to discuss how that money is spent. I urge those Ministers to read the Foreign Policy Centre's action plan, "Leeds Manifesto; How to Spend $100 billion for Africa" and give a new focus to investing in post-secondary education in Africa.

"We must see education in the round – it is not just about books for school-children, but it is a means for people of all ages to escape poverty. Post-secondary education in Africa must be the focus for the EU.

Download the press release (10 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

20 October 2005

The FPC hosted a keynote address by Rt Hon ALAN JOHNSON MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on British priorities for the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference followed by addresses from John Hilary, War on Want, and Professor Sherman Robinson, Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The event was chaired by Stephen Twigg, the Foreign Policy Centre's Director.

This seminar, organised by the Foreign Policy Centre, focussed on the British Government's trade and development agenda during its EU Presidency and in the run-up to the WTO Ministerial Conference in December, covering issues such as international trade reform, debt cancellation and aid spending.

A copy of Alan Johnson's speech is attached

Download the press release (40 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

14 October 2005

Scottish Executive should implement energy wardens

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"I have written today to the First Minister, Jack McConnell MSP and the Environment Minister Ross Finnie MSP to urge them to consider the Foreign Policy Centre's proposals on the UK's Energy Security. At a time when oil prices are inflated and the UK is reliant on oil and gas supplies from regions which are politically unstable, renewable energy must play a greater part in a diverse energy mix.

"One of our key recommendations to the government and business community is to have 'energy wardens' to help improve efficiency at home and in the workplace."

Download Scottish Executive energy wardens (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

13th October 2005, London

Extension to detention period unnecessary

GREG AUSTIN, Director of Research at the Foreign Policy Centre today said that the proposed extension of the period of detention for terror suspects in the Terrorism Bill was unnecessary.

He said:

"The need to extend the review period for detention to three months is unnecessary. As the Home Secretary has said, intelligence is the key to tackling terrorism. The proposed extension shows how desperately weak the government's investigative resources are if it needs to detain people for three months to understand what is on their computer discs.

"The FPC report on terrorism released this week called for a massive increase in money and training for MI5 and MI6. Parliament should consider that as part of the response to the government's bill."

Download the press release (40 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

11 October 2005

UK not doing enough to tackle terrorism

GREG AUSTIN, Director of Research at the Foreign Policy Centre today criticised the UK government for not doing enough to tackle terrorism in the aftermath of the July 7th bombings in London.

He said:

"If the government accepts, as we understand it does, that jihadist terrorists may be attempting to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, we simply have to do better than we have done so far. One slip-up will be one too many."

"There needs to be a more consistent effort from government to inform public opinion about the nature and level of the threat, and about policy responses. Moreover, given the closed nature of counter-terrorism policy-making, it is equally important that there be strong internal review mechanisms. The threat is too great to leave all our eggs in one basket. There needs to be a standing, independent review mechanism that has wide access to all classified data and reports to the Prime Minister at a classified level, and to Parliament at an unclassified level."

Download Press Release - Next Attack (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

10 October 2005

Blair must sign convention on corruption - Twigg

At a major conference in London today, members of the diplomatic community, the African Diaspora, NGOs and international donors sent a strong message on corruption and developing best practice to the Prime Minister and the International Development Secretary ahead of the meeting of EU Development Ministers in Leeds on 24/25 October.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, said:

"The UK must send a strong message to corrupt governments by signing the UN convention on corruption immediately. The Prime Minister must use Britain's Presidency of the EU to encourage other member states to do likewise. Corruption and poor governance siphons off aid from the people that need it most.

Download Press release - UN convention on corruption (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

10th October 2005

Malcolm Bruce MP today gave a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre, on the subject of climate change and development in Africa.

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

5th/6th October 2005

A gathering of academics, policy-makers and other key stakeholders from Africa and Europe will send a strong message to Hilary Benn, ahead of his meeting with EU Development Ministers in Leeds on 24th October, that Africa needs ideas not just money from the European Union development fund.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"Africa needs ideas not just money from the EU. Our conference will look beyond conventional notions of international development assistance. We need a broader political agenda that looks beyond the ideas of poverty alleviation and good governance. What the Africa Commission, and the Live8/Make Poverty History agenda showed is that we have moved on from simply handing out aid to African governments. We must also develop the tools to develop citizenship and best practice in partnership with African societies."

Download the press release (40 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

4 October 2005

"Blair must use talks with Russia to bring about real progress on climate change" – Twigg

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"At Gleneagles, G8 leaders agreed to act with resolve and urgency on global warming, but much more progress can and should be made. The bilateral talks between Tony Blair and President Putin are a real opportunity to widen Moscow's focus beyond security of energy supplies to the truly global issue of climate change."

Download Russia talks must tackle climate change (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

3rd October 2005

Turkish accession: "Second class status not an option"

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"Second class status, as some in Austria, Germany and France are advocating, must not be an option for Turkey's proposed accession to the European Union. The idea of a partnership, or associate membership is an insult to Turkey's strategic location in Europe."

Download the press release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

30 September 2005

Turks in Europe: why is Europe, but not Britain afraid?

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"Turkish accession to the European Union would be a great boost to both Turkey and the EU. However, why are so many, such as those in France and Germany afraid of Turkey being part of the EU? France and Germany must get over their increasing isolationism and see the bigger picture. The British public is by contrast actually untroubled by Turkish membership of the EU – actually more pro-enlargement than many of the founder members of the European Union."

Download Turks in Europe - Press Release (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

27th September 2005, Brighton & London

The European Union should provide a minimum standard for universal childcare to make a European social Europe a reality, leading Labour figures said today. In a pamphlet published by the Foreign Policy Centre, Neil Kinnock, Ken Livingstone, Stephen Twigg said that a new deal for a social Europe was an urgent priority.

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today said:

"There is now clear evidence that the provision of good quality universal childcare and education for the under-fives helps to boost educational performance and promote social mobility. Participation in education and society boosts growth, advances gender equality, reduces child poverty and increases the birth rate."

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19 September 2005, London

North Korea: A step forward, but check the small-print

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, today welcomed the announcement by North Korea to give up its nuclear programme but warned:

"We need to check the small-print of this agreement before we celebrate the end of a nuclear North Korea.

"There needs to be clarification over who will be inspecting North Korea's programme and whether North Korea can have its own civilian nuclear energy programme.

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12 September 2005

'Britain must urgently re-think its energy policy in the face of global risks' - Twigg

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Foreign Policy Centre's new pamphlet on Britain's Energy Future, Director Stephen Twigg said: 'The UK government has made the case for a rapid shift to renewable energy sources from a number of perspectives: national security, economic prosperity and the protection of the global environment – yet its targets for renewables are amongst the lowest in Europe.

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8 September 2005

UN guilty of "hand wringing impotence" and must be reformed – Bercow

Following the release of the Volcker report into the Iraqi oil for food programme, John Bercow MP, Conservative MP for Buckingham, today condemned the United Nations as indulging in:

"displays of hand wringing impotence.

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1 August 2005

New offices in USA and China and new work on tranistion to renewables announced

On Monday 1 August 2005, Stephen Twigg commenced his appointment as Director of the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC). He announced moves to open permanent FPC offices in Washington and Beijing. He also outlined a series of new policy projects to be undertaken by the FPC, including work on how the UK can make a rapid move toward greater use of renewable energy sources.

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The Foreign Policy Centre has published the most recent in the Global Europe series of reports which argues that short term objectives, such as efforts to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear programme, are drawing attention away from the development of a coherent engagement strategy with Europe's new neighbours.

According to Global Europe 2: New Terms of Engagement, the old model of EU engagement with the near abroad, through the promise of accession, is no longer viable in the post-enlargement environment. Whilst the promise of accession is 'without a doubt the most successful policy instrument the EU has', Europe has to develop a new method of promoting democratic reform or else face over-stretch and strategic competition for soft power, most notably from Russia. The EU must offer desirable trade, aid, education and visa benefits; which should be conditional on progress made against standardised benchmarks.

The report includes contributions from a leading academic, Karen E. Smith of the London School of Economics; Richard Youngs, senior fellow at the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE, Madrid), and University of Warwick, UK; Richard Whitman, Director of the Europe Programme at the Royal Institute for International Affairs and Michael Emerson, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies.

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As the world watches the Middle East emerge piecemeal and slowly from controlled media to one of free information, due in large part to Al-Jazeera and the Internet, Africa visibly lacks any continental equivalent.

In An African Al-Jazeera? Mass media and the African Renaissance, the FPC's Public Diplomacy Director, Philip Fiske de Gouveia, argues that, just as Al-Jazeera has raised the bar for reporting in the Middle East, so an indigenous Africa-wide broadcaster, although very different in form, could contribute much to good governance and development across the continent.

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The EU and China must turn talk of a 'strategic partnership' into action, by identifying concrete areas for cooperation on pressing global issues, from energy and climate change to weapons proliferation and genocide.

On 18-20 May 2005 the FPC and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), in association with the FPC's partners, Accenture, the Corporation of London and the Centre for European Reform (CER), will host the first Unofficial EU-China Summit in Beijing. This aims to create a 'second track' process for discussion and shape a concrete agenda for joint action, in advance of the official EU-China summit due to be held in late 2005 under the UK presidency of the EU.

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New FPC reports challenge conventional wisdom on China's energy demand and global economic impact.

The domestic regulation of China's energy use is the issue of greatest significance for global energy markets; and analysts have underestimated China's impact on the global economic system, two incisive new reports from the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC)

argue.

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International reconstruction interventions are seriously flawed and often 'undermine the very local governments they have come to "assist"', according to an incisive new report on Europe's potential state-building role from British Council Brussels and the Foreign Policy Centre.

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26 April 2005

European leaders must mount a forceful public diplomacy campaign to convince the US Congress that they will continue to restrict the export of arms to China effectively after lifting the 1989 embargo, according to a new Foreign Policy Centre report.

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The current parliamentary system for examining legislation from Brussels is flawed, according to a new Foreign Policy Centre pamphlet by CBI chief Sir Digby Jones, with a preface by Dr Denis MacShane, Minister for Europe.

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Following a freedom of information campaign led by the Foreign Policy Centre and the Guardian newspaper, the government has released data on all recipients of payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in England. Seperate announcments are awaited for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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An important new contribution to the debate on the integration of migrants within the EU has been published by the British Council, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Migration Policy Group, suggesting the need for a more inclusive approach to immigrants in evolving societies

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UK to disclose farm-by-farm details of CAP payments after Foreign Policy Centre Campaign; meanwhile top Brussels officials at odds over EU-wide disclosure

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Britain needs to rethink the way it communicates with public opinion overseas to rebuild trust and bridge the disputes of an increasingly divided world, according to a major new look at British public diplomacy published today.

British Public Diplomacy in the 'Age of Schisms', from the Foreign Policy Centre and Counterpoint, the think tank of the British Council, the UK's international cultural relations organisation, suggests a new direction for UK public diplomacy policy that focuses on long-term trust rather than short-term image.

Authors Mark Leonard, Andrew Small and Martin Rose examine how Britain can forge a new public diplomacy role to suit an unstable, shifting, post-Iraq world, where divisions - or schisms - push nations into very different alliances.

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4 March 2005

Reform of the Security Council alone is not enough to meet the aspirations of emerging nations and restore the UN's moral and political authority after Iraq, according to a thought-provoking new polemic from the Foreign Policy Centre.

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23 February 2005

A European Foreign Minister will significantly improve the EU's effectiveness overseas but will face significant bureaucratic and political challenges, according to a new pamphlet by Sir Brian Crowe.

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3 February 2005

FPC publication claims political, economic, cultural and human clout could make India new "bridging" power

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9 December 2004

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29th November 2004

Mark Leonard to leave FPC after six years as director

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19 November 2004

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17 November 2004

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9 November 2004

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4 November 2004

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26 October 2004

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22 September 2004

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Monday 6 September 2004

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Wednesday 28 July 2004

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13 July 2004

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Monday May 10 2004

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Thursday April 22nd 2004

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Wednesday 31 March 2004

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Read more information about Mark Leonard's sabbatical at the German Marshall Fund in Washington.

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2nd March 2004

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A new report by the Foreign Policy Centre argues that citizenship and immigration policies in Europe are lagging behind those in new migration countries such as Canada and Australia, and claims that Europe is still littered with "gross anachronisms" when it comes to promoting citizenship and inclusion.

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Robert Cooper (Director-General for External and Politico-Military Affairs for the European Council in Brussels) explains that armies rarely successfully impose democracy. Extracted from an address to the Foreign Policy Centre event "Liberal Intervention: Empire's New Clothes?"

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The launch of Open Society Institute's report on the need for public oversight of oil industries in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

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The Foreign Policy Centre's roadmap for joining the euro has been endorsed by leading pro-Europeans.

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Nick Clegg MEP and Michiel van Hulten MEP. May 2003

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Spring 2003

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Mark Leonard and Conrad Smewing

March 2003

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Giles Radice

February 2003

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Simon Atkinson and Roger Mortimore

January 2003

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Tom Arbuthnott

January 2003

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Mats Engstrom

December 2002

Digital Deliberation and European Democracy

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Rachel Briggs

November 2002

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Chris Haskins

November 2002

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Vicky Swales

October 2002

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Jack Thurston

October 2002

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Collection edited by Phoebe Griffith

October 2002

Essay by Dr Shamit Saggar on Black and Asian Britions in the labour market

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Published in the UK in association with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

September 2002

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Rachel Briggs

August 2002

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Mark Leonard with Catherine Stead and Conrad Smewing

July 2002

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Phoebe Griffith, Mark Leonard and and Sacha Chan-Kam's essay on Refugee sponsorship

October 2002

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Edited by Phoebe Griffith

October 2002

Essay on young people and violence by Adrienne Katz

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Rowena Young

March 2003

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Simon Hix

March 2002

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Phoebe Griffith, Mark Leonard and Sacha Chan Khan

January 2002

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