2007

Download The Democratiya Interviews (1.36 megabyte PDF)

Price: £9.95 + £2 p&p (UK orders) / US$45 (overseas orders)

This book brings together a series of conversations about the dilemmas of progressive foreign policy after 9/11. Democratiya editor Alan Johnson talks to Jean Bethke Elshtain, Martin Shaw, Kanan Makiya, Paul Berman, David Held, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Ladan Boroumand, Anne-Marie Slaughter (now Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department), Joshua Muravchik and Mary Kaldor.

To order:

Send a cheque for £11.95 (for UK orders) made payable to The Foreign Policy Centre or an international money order for US$45 (for overseas orders) to: The Foreign Policy Centre (Book Orders), Suite 14, 2nd Floor, 23-28 Penn Street, London N1 5DL, UK. Make clear you are ordering 'Global Politics After 9/11' and include your full postal address.

• Order Online using Paypal (via Democratiya)
• Global Politics after 9/11 launch event

Alex Bigham (Ed.)

July 2007 Hard copy: £2.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download the report (440 kilobyte PDF)

The Foreign Policy Centre, in conjunction with Channel 4, set up an independent, cross-party Commission tasked with producing a blueprint for Britain's future involvement in Iraq.

Alex Bigham (Ed.)

2007 Hard copy: £2.95, plus £1 p+p.

The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to launch of the new report, 'Having Faith in Foreign Policy'. This collection of essays brings together faith leaders and intellectuals to discuss, debate and attempt to answer some of the most vexed questions of our age: what is the relationship between religion and the state in a post-modern society; what is the interaction between faith, conflict and development and how can governments and leaders reach out to citizens who may feel disengaged from foreign policy?

This report and event are supported by HE Anthony Bailey, KCSS, Eligo International (www.eligo.net) and the Grand Magistral Delegation for Inter-Religious Relations of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (www.constantinian.com).

Joshua Cooper Ramo

Supported by Hill & Knowlton

February 2007

Download Brand China (260 kilobyte PDF)

In this new report, from the author of the widely discussed paper 'The Beijing Consensus', Ramo argues that China's national image, and the misalignment between China's image of itself and how it is viewed by the rest of the world, may be its greatest strategic threat. It argues that alongside its other reforms, China needs a 'fifth transition' if the trust and understanding necessary for the next stage of its development are to be achieved.

This paper has been kindly supported by Hill & Knowlton.

Tony Blair

APCO Worldwide

September 2006 Hard copy: £2.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download A Global Alliance for Global Values (590 kilobyte PDF)

The pamphlet was inspired by a set of 3 landmark speeches made by then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2006.

The pamphlet was supported by APCO Worldwide.

Christopher J Forster

April 2006

Download China's Secret Weapon (320 kilobyte PDF)

Preface by Lord Charles Powell of Bayswater

The Wall Street Journal reported recently how foreign-invested R&D centres in China have almost quadrupled to 750 over the last four years. The Foreign Policy Centre report bears this out with statistics showing that China is now ranked third in the world for total R&D spending. It estimates that by 2010 China will have the same number of science and engineering graduates as the United States. The idea that China is a sweat-shop economy is very dated. Instead it is a growing challenge to the previously comfortable technological lead of the Western countries.

Further information 

Philip Fiske de Gouveia, with Hester Plumridge, Philip Fiske de Gouveia

November 2005

Download European Infopolitik (350 kilobyte PDF)

With this year's tenth anniversary of the Barcelona Process – the initiative by whichthe EU has tried to foster greater co-operation in the greater Mediterraneanarea – Europe and its southern neighbours have much to celebrate. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has been almost unprecedented in its ambition and, while it has not been without its problems, has contributed significantly to the development of international economic and cultural ties with the region.

Further information 

Philip Fiske de Gouveia, Philip Fiske de Gouveia

May 2005

Download the report (150 kilobyte PDF)

A new momentum is building behind development efforts in Africa. The work of the UK Commission for Africa, for example, appears to be symptomatic of a renewed global interest in the world's poorest continent. Historically, the media has played a fundamental role in democratisation and economic growth across the world, yet its significance is routinely downplayed by development strategists.

In 'An African Al-Jazeera? Mass Media and the African Renaissance', Philip Fiske de Gouveia examines how the media can facilitate much needed change across the African continent, and outlines a number of UK-specific policy recommendations. The report addresses a variety of key questions including: What role can and should the media play as part of political and economic advances in Africa? Can and should Africa shrug off its perceived information dependence on the West? Should the creation of an indigenous pan-African broadcaster be a development priority?

Further information 

Mark Leonard, Andrew Small with Martin Rose

February 2005

Download the report (360 kilobyte PDF)

The war in Iraq has had a seismic impact on international perceptions of Britain and British foreign policy, yet there is a big contrast between the cacophony of debate in the United States on the political and diplomatic fall-out of Iraq for US grand strategy, and the relative lack of public and political debate about how UK public diplomacy needs to change to reflect these new realities.

Further information 

Mark Leonard, Conrad Smewing

The British Council

February 2003

Is it possible to better Britain's standing in the Arab World at a time of conflict and terror? Commissioned by the British Council, Public Diplomacy and the Middle East examines the implications of the re-ordering of a Middle East policy since 11 September for relationships with the Arab and Islamic world.

"The pamphlet is concise, well-written and presents a well argued case in favour of debate and cultural understanding." Pat Cox, the European Parliament.

Edited by Phoebe Griffith, Mark Leonard

Development Education Association and the British Council

September 2002

Download the report (570 kilobyte PDF)

In Reclaiming Britishness, leading politicians, thinkers and practioners explore how a modern, inclusive and outward-looking British identity can guide us through difficult policy choices. They take stock of where the heady talk of a reborn British identity has got to in the wake of the 11 September attacks and the riots of Summer 2001. And they suggest practical ways to connect with those who feel excluded from the traditional symbols of British identity.

"'A collection of provocative, timely and helpful essays on the state (and limitations) of the Britishness debate'" Linda Colley

Rachel Briggs

Thomas Cook Tour Operations

August 2002

Download the report (390 kilobyte PDF)

This report addresses the travel advice sector in the UK. A growing number of Britons are getting into trouble abroad and British Consulates are often left to pick up the pieces when things go wrong. As overseas travel continues to increase, the number of Britons imprisoned, hospitalized or assaulted abroad looks set to continue its upward trend.

Many of these problems could be avoided if relevant travel advice was read prior to departure, but there seems to be complacency and confusion among the main groups of travellers about whether they are at risk and whether it is their own responsibility to seek out advice. Research shows that only a tiny proportion travellers are aware of the risks they face.

Travel Advice calls for partnership between the UK government, the travel industry, companies, and the charity sector to ensure targeted advice gets to the people who need it.

Please read the introduction below.

Further information 

Adam Lury, Simon Gibson

The Foreign Policy Centre, Liverpool John Moores University

June 2002

Download the report (890 kilobyte PDF)

Need to Know is a book of fiction that attempts to make sense of open-ended and complex policy issues in a non-linear way. The rationale of the project is that through stories people can better engage with, and think through, complex policy issues. By using a narrative framework the aim is to make foreign policy debates more accessible to a wider audience and to illustrate the relevance of foreign policy to our everyday lives.

Need to Know is a reflection of The Foreign Policy Centre's commitment to challenge the traditional forms that think tanks have used to explore policy. Unlike traditional policy reports which focus on giving recommendations, Need to Know demonstrates the ambiguous consequences of many policy challenges in practice. Need to Know was published jointly with Liverpool John Moores University.

Mark Leonard, with Catherine Stead, Conrad Smewing

The British Council, BBC World Service, Norway-UK

June 2002 Hard copy: £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download the report (550 kilobyte PDF)

In the world of al-Jazeera, global protest and mass democracy, building relationships with overseas publics can be as important as talking to governments. Whether countries build an international coalition against al-Qaida, reform the Common Agricultural Policy, or attract inward investment, influencing public opinion abroad will be crucial.

What should our strategy for success be in this global competition for exports, tourism, investment and political influence? How can governments harness the power of NGOs, brands, diasporas and political parties to project a modern image? What lessons emerged from public diplomacy after September 11? The report sets out a practical agenda for public diplomacy which draws on fieldwork in six countries, hundreds of interviews with practitioners, and contributions from the experts in academia and communications - from Harvard academic Joseph Nye to Downing Street spokesman Alistair Campbell.

"First-rate. An extraordinarily important book to make the case for public policy that recognizes the role of soft power" Joseph Nye
"both timely and important" Tom Buchanan
"A remarkable and useful piece of work….segues into what the Foreign Office is trying to do." Denis MacShane MP

Mark Leonard, Vidhya Alakeson

May 2000

In an age of global communications, building links with overseas publics will matter as much to foreign policy as talking to governments. Whether Britain wants a lasting coalition for international action in Kosovo, the French to lift the beef ban or Russia to become a stable democracy, influencing people abroad must be central to our strategy. The usual diplomatic channels can't do this on their own. The Foreign Office must unleash the energy of 60 million budding ambassadors in Britain's schools, businesses, local authorities, political parties and communities to build deeper links across the world. Going Public shows how global transformations in security, sovereignty and economics mean that diplomats must deal with a new global society where power and influence depend as much on values and reputation as on military might. Going Public shows how Britain should fuse the strengths of traditional and public diplomacy to build the relationships we need to thrive in a globalised world.

The project was supported by the BBC World Service, The British Council, and the Design Council.

Further information 

"An important new pamphlet … argues that the old ideas of British diplomacy must change profoundly" Gavin Esler, The Scotsman
"Argues that diplomacy can no longer solely be pursued at government-to-government level" Financial Times
"Prime Minister Helen Clark said she would look at how the report's ideas can be applied to New Zealand" The Christchurch Press

Wally Olins

October 1999

Companies and Countries are changing fast - and they are becoming more like each other.

As countries develop their 'national brands' to compete for investment, trade and tourism, mega-merged global companies are using nation-building techniques to achieve internal cohesion across cultures and are becoming ever more involved in providing public services like education and health.

As companies and countries each adopt techniques which have been second nature to the other, Wally Olins asks what these cross-cutting trends mean for the new balance of global power. He explains why global companies are de-emphasising nationality, but seeking popular legitimacy by 'talking soft' about their social impact and community involvement, while governments are increasingly talk about performance indicators and hard statistics.

Further information 

"a fascinating pamphlet" Peter Preston, The Guardian