3-4 October 2011 - Manchester

The Foreign Policy Centre is hosting a programme of five fringe events at this year's Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Please click below to download the flyer. There is no need to pre-register, however attendees WILL need Conference accreditation to attend all but one of the events.

Download Foreign Policy Centre events - Conservative Party Conference (130 kilobyte PDF)

Date: Wednesday April 20th 6pm-7.30pm (with drinks afterwards)

Venue: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Room (off Westminster Hall), Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA

Chair: Con Coughlin, Executive Foreign Editor, Daily Telegraph

Respondent: Dr Rachel Polonsky, University of Cambridge and author of Molotov's Magic Lantern: A Journey in Russian History

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

The Foreign Policy Centre is hosting an 'in conversation with'-style event with the acclaimed Russian author Lyudmila Ulitskaya (her many awards include the Russian Booker and she was an International Booker nominee in 2009). Her work covers a range of issues but has a major focus on identity, particularly gender and religion and the role of Russia's intelligentsia and elites. Her books include Kukotsky Case, Daniel Stein, Translator and Medea's Children. In 2009 she attracted both controversy and acclaim with the publication of her exchange of letters with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Dialogues with Lyudmila Ulitskaya.

During this event, she will give her views on the current state of Russian society and politics, exploring the some of the undercurrents in Russian culture and how they shape the political environment and vice versa. She will also discuss the issues of political and personal freedom, with reference to the political situation in the lead up to the 2012 elections.

Download In conversation with Lyudmila Ulitskaya (140 kilobyte PDF)

Wednesday 27th October

Time: 1pm - 2.15pm (lunch provided from 12.45pm)

Venue: Inter-Parliamentary Union Room, Houses of Parliament, Westminster

Speakers:

• HE Ambassador Volodymyr Khandogiy, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK
• John Whittingdale OBE MP, Chair British-Ukraine APPG and Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
• David Clark, FPC Senior Research Associate & Chair of the Russia Foundation
• James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
• Chair: Helen Goodman MP, Secretary British-Ukraine APPG

The Foreign Policy Centre is to hold an important seminar exploring the current situation in Ukraine, its prospects for the future and its international relationships. It will look at Ukraine's political and economic stability since the 2010 Presidential election and its prospects for reform. The seminar will examine the future of its relations with Russia and NATO but particularly explore the opportunities for strengthening the relationship with the EU through Eastern Partnership.

The FPC is bringing together a diverse panel of speakers for a full and frank discussion about Ukraine's future and the role we can play to help it on the path of reform.

Please RSVP by email to: events@fpc.org.uk

19-21 September, Liverpool

The Foreign Policy Centre will be hosting a programme of five fringe events at this year's Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Liverpool, with speakers including: Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP, Tim Farron MP and Andrew Duff MEP, amongst others. Please see the flyer below for more detailed information about speakers, themes and venues. The events are open to all and there is no need to pre-register.

Download FPC Fringe Programme - Liberal Democrat Party Conference (150 kilobyte PDF)

Tuesday 9th February 2010, 4.00pm–5.30pm, Committee Room 18, House of Commons, London, SW1 0AA, SW1A 2JH. NB. Change of Venue

The All Party Parliamentary Russia Group, The EU-Russia Centre & The Foreign Policy Centre cordially invite you to a seminar on:

The Russian Judiciary - Priorities for Change in a New Decade

Guest Speakers:

• Ms Olga Borisovna Kudeshkina, Former Judge of the Moscow City Court
• Professor Alena Ledeneva, Professor of Politics and Society at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) at University College London.
• Chair: Bob Wareing MP, Treasurer, Russia APPG

RSVP : gd@eu-russiacentre.org

Info: Olga Kudeshkina was a Russian judge for over 20 years until 2004 when, as a Moscow City Court Judge, she was dismissed over her statements to public media where she claimed to have come under pressure from the Moscow City Court chairman and the Prosecutor General's Office in a high-profile criminal case. Subsequently, the European Court on Human Rights upheld Ms Kudeshkina's complaint and ruled that her dismissal from office was a violation of the freedom of expression guaranteed by Article 10 of the Russian Constitution. In 2003 Ms Kudeshkina stood as a candidate in the general election for seats in the Duma, the parliament of the Russian Federation and included a programme for reform of the judiciary on her platform.

Download Invitation to The Russian Judiciary- Priorities for Change (70 kilobyte PDF)

Date: Wednesday 14th May 2008, 9.30-3.30pm

Speakers included:

• Boris Nemtsov, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
• Ed Lucas, The Economist and Author of 'The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces Both Russia and the West'
• David Clark, Chair, The Russia Foundation
• Akhmed Zakaev, Prime Minister, Resistance Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
• Tony Wood, Writer & Author
• Andrei Piontkovsky, Executive Director, Centre for Strategic Studies, Moscow

Taking place only days after Dimitry Medvedev formally took over as President of the Russian Federation, this Chechnya Peace Forum and Foreign Policy Centre event focused on what is happening in Russia today, with sessions on democracy and politics, civil liberties and the rule of law, Russian policy in Chechnya and the Caucasus and Russian influence on the world stage.

Download the full programme at: http://www.chechnyapeaceforum.com/upload/home_text_13.pdf

Download the Invitation (50 kilobyte PDF)

Date: Friday 29 February 2008, 12.30pm to 2pm

Venue: Vault 1, Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ.

Hosted by the Chechnya Peace Forum and the Foreign Policy Centre, this event provided an opportunity for policy-makers, commentators and analysts to discuss political, social and economic developments in Russia and the Caucasus ahead of the Russian Presidential election in March.

Speakers leading the discussion included:

• Stephen Twigg, Director, The Foreign Policy Centre (Chair)
• David Clark, Chair, Russia Foundation
• Ed Lucas, Journalist on the Economist and Author of The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces Both Russia and the West
• Akhmed Zakaev, Prime Minister, Resistance Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

To find out more about the work of the Chechnya Peace Forum please visit www.chechnyapeaceforum.com.

The Labour Party Conference in Manchester is set to run from Sunday 24th until Thursday 28th September. The FPC will be holding a number of events inside the secure zone of Labour Party Conference.

If you would like to know more, please contact us on 020 7729 7566 or email Diane Fisher on diane.fisher[at]fpc.org.uk.

To download the events programme, please click here:

Download FPC Fringe Events at Labour Conference 2006 (110 kilobyte PDF)

Liberal Democrat Conference

18th September 2006

Venue: Hilton Brighton Metropole

The Foreign Policy Centre and the EU Russia Centre cordially invite you to a fringe meeting:

Russian Democracy: The Way Forward

A Seminar On Democracy, Civil Liberties and Human Rights in Russia

Speakers:

Michael Moore MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary

Stephen Twigg, Director, The Foreign Policy Centre

Bill Bowring, Barrister, Professor of Law, Birkbeck, University of London and Advisory Board Member, EU-Russia Centre

Monday 18th September

18.15 – 19.30

Lancaster Suite

Hilton Brighton Metropole

Monday 26 June 2006, 6.00-8.00pm

Date: Monday 26 June 2006, 6.00-8.00pm

Venue: Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, Bridge Street, Westminster, London, SW1A 2LW

The Foreign Policy Centre is pleased to announce the launch of 'Russia and the G8; a Summit Scorecard', which updates 'Russia in the Spotlight: G8 Scorecard', published in January.

The original Scorecard raised a political storm in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin responded to its publication by claiming: "These people are still living in the past century – they are all unreconstructed Sovietologists." Yet many questions remain unanswered six months into Russia's controversial G8 presidency.

Russia was originally included in the G8 to help lock in its democratic reforms, but the Scorecard showed that Russia is no longer even semi-democratic. In the run-up to the St Petersburg summit in July, the Foreign Policy Centre has re-appraised Russia's performance, according to the same criteria used in the original Scorecard. The data has now been updated in the light of events - political, economic, and social - over the last six months.

A panel of senior politicians and experts, including Sir Malcolm Rifkind, will discuss the latest findings at what promises to be a fascinating event.

Among those speaking will be:

Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, former Foreign Secretary

Jonathan Steele, The Guardian

Michael Moore MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary

David Clark, The Russia Foundation

Hugh Barnes, Foreign Policy Centre (Chair)

Please register by email to Paulo Santana - russia[at]fpc.org.uk

EU-Russia Centre

The first fringe meeting of the FPC's busy conference programme at Labour's 2006 Conference in Manchester was on Russia and the EU.

The seminar 'Russia and the EU: Can Partnership Work?' examined the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement, democracy, civil liberties and human rights in Russia. Other key issues discussed included the implications for Russia of the accession of NATO and EU enlargements, as well as energy issues.

Around 50 delegates attended the event which was sponsored by the EU-Russia Centre.

Download A report of the meeting (190 kilobyte PDF)

EU-Russia Centre

The Foreign Policy Centre hosted a fringe meeting at Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton on 18th September.

The seminar, "Russian Democracy: The Way Forward," discussed democracy, civil liberties and human rights in Russia.

A total of 57 attendees participated at the lively and informative event which was sponsored by the EU-Russia Centre.

Download A report of the meeting (210 kilobyte PDF)

FPC and the EU-Russia Centre

Date: Wednesday 21 June 2006, 6.00-7.30 p.m.

Venue: Grimond Room, Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0AA

The Foreign Policy Centre launched the publication of "Dictatorship or Reform: the Rule of Law in Russia", a collection of essays by international experts in the field, including Alena Ledeneva and Mary McAuley.

Rule of law is a cornerstone of democracy and essential to a well-functioning market economy that protects individual human rights. Yet it is ironic that in the six years since he pledged to uphold democracy in Russia as a "dictatorship of the law", President Putin has increased the role of the federal security service in governing Russia and arbitrarily wielded the power of state institutions such as the courts, the tax inspectors, and the police for political ends.

The trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky was widely perceived as politically motivated, and allegations of prosecutorial misconduct raise questions about judicial independence and selective application of investment and tax laws. Similarly, a series of cases of alleged espionage has led to concerns regarding the lack of due process and the influence of the security services in judicial proceedings. Yet instead of insisting that Russia uphold the rule of law and respect fundamental human rights, EU governments have failed to exert the necessary pressure.

It is therefore a matter of urgency that Russia respects judicial independence and abides by the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights and other international agreements such as the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement between the European Union and Russia.

Among those speaking were:

Dr Alena Ledeneva, School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES), UCL

Edward Lucas, The Economist (Chair)

Andrew Jack, Financial Times

Ken Purchase MP

b> Russia, the EU and Gas

On New Year's Day, Vladimir Putin marked the beginning of Russia's presidency of the G8 group of leading industrialised nations by declaring a new "cold war". He briefly cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine and therefore much of Europe, brandishing Russia's vast energy reserves as his Soviet predecessors once flaunted nuclear rockets. The Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute served as a wake-up call for the European Union, which obtains a quarter of its gas from Russia. (The EU is likely to import up to 75% of its natural gas requirements by 2020.) Russia is destined by virtue of its wealth of natural resources to become a pivotal player on the global energy chessboard in the coming decades. As world energy demand grows, particularly because of China's explosive rise as an economic force, Russia's wealth and potential power are certain to grow as well.

Launching a new FPC pamphlet, Coby van der Linde, head of the International Energy Programme at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands, and one of the world's leading gas experts, assessed the threat the EU's reliance on Russian gas will pose to its energy security and suggest that only Russia's transformation into a modern, technologically advanced and responsible producer of energy will safeguard European interests in the coming decades.

FPC launches the 'G8 Scorecard'

30 January 2006

The Foreign Policy Centre is pleased to announce the launch of '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.

"Russia's chairmanship of the G8 has been a PR disaster with the recent Kremlin crackdown on NGOs and human rights groups and the attempt to cut off energy supplies to Russia's neighbours Georgia and the Ukraine. Vladimir Putin doesn't just need an Alastair Campbell though – he needs to genuinely respect the rule of law and democratic freedoms.

"Following on from Britain's presidency of the G8, and the priorities that the Prime Minister gave to climate change and Africa, Russia's faltering chairmanship of the G8 raises there are fundamental questions about whether Russia should be a member at all. This scorecard will provoke that debate."

The scorecard comes as an increasing number of MPs (now up to 62) have signed an Early Day Motion lambasting Russia's Presidency of the G8. The MPs include former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind and former International Development Secretary Clare Short.

Also speaking at the launch, Andrew Jack, from the Financial Times said:

"The G8 scorecard is extremely impressive as it analyses Russia as a whole. The Foreign Policy Centre is to be congratulated in taking this first ambitious step to analyse a G8 chairmanship, and to assess whether Russia is progressing or backsliding in terms of the seemingly depressing developments in terms of economic stability, democratic freedoms and the rule of law."

The FPC's G8 scorecard is a major instrument for providing objective information by which to compare the policies and conduct of various G8 members. It is the first in a series of scorecards which will analyse Germany in 2007 and Japan in 2008

The key findings of the G8 Scorecard are that:

• the size of Russia's economy does not merit its inclusion in the G8;
• Russia is neither politically nor economically free, according to the principles set out in the founding declaration of the G6 at Rambouillet in 1975;
• Russia's presidency of the G8 is correspondingly anomalous;
• the other G8 nations must develop a concerted policy to force Putin to live up to his international obligations.

Download the report (320 kilobyte PDF)

8 November 2005

The Foreign Policy Centre hosted the launch in London this week of a new Russian think-tank set up to analyse and promote the country's development as a free market economy.

The Institute for Contemporary Economic Research (ICER) is an independent non-profit organisation based in Moscow to conduct theoretical and applied research in the areas of macro- and microeconomics, labour economics, social reform and fiscal and monetary policy. Its mission is to promote a liberal view of the economic and political changes occurring in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe as a whole. The scholars at the Institute regularly take part in academic conferences within Russia and abroad and publish widely in learned journals, newspapers and magazines as well as appearing on the broadcast media. The Institute was founded in 2005 and evolved from its predecessor, The Institute for Open Economy, which had been the FPC's leading partner in the now well-established "Future of Russia" programme.

The ICER launch, attended by international experts, politicians, government officials and journalists, saw an informal discussion of "The Future of Russia's Economy". One of the speakers, Gideon Rachman, Business Editor of The Economist noted that many of the successes under Vladimir Putin's leadership – tax reform, balanced budgets, sharply reduced international lending and a booming economy – have been overshadowed by increasing state intervention, particularly in the oil and gas sectors.

Elena Zhuravskaya, the ICER's Executive Director, introduced the Institute's research associates and outlined their respective areas of speciality.

Speaking at the event, the FPC's Director Stephen Twigg hailed the launch of the Institute as a great opportunity to strengthen the links between Britain and Russia through a partnership to develop new ideas in the political and economic spheres.

• ICER in Moscow

This year the FPC held nine fringes at Labour party conference topics ranging from religion in policy to UN reform. Speakers included Peter Mandelson, Charles Clarke MP, Hilary Benn MP, Sir Stephen Wall and Mikhail Kasyanov, among many others.

On Sunday 25th, the FPC held its Annual 'Global Fringe' event, a regular feature where the topic for debate is selected only one week before the event. This year the debate was on the wider Middle East, and attracted a lively debate between panellists including Lord Garden, the Lib Dem Defence Spokesperson, Nick Cohen of the New Statesman, Dame Pauline-Neville Jones and Ned Temko of the Observer.

On Monday, there were debates with Peter Mandelson and Ian Pearson on trade; Denis MacShane on the Middle East; and Charles Clarke on immigration.

At a Tuesday breakfast briefing, Stephen Timms, Stephen Wall, Rev Nazir Ali, AC Grayling and Rokhsana Fiaz discussed whether faith was the new identity. In the evening, Douglas Alexander spoke at a meeting on 'A New Deal for Social Europe', with the FPC's pamphlet being launched the next day.

Wednesday rounded up the FPC's busy programme with events on Energy Security with Malcolm Wicks and Michael Meacher, Africa with Hilary Benn and Russia with former RUssian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.

The FPC wishes to thank all its speakers and sponsors for their help at this year's conference.

• Cook's final fight: the case for Europe

Download The FPC Fringe Programme Labour Party Autumn Conference 2005 (90 kilobyte PDF)

From 27 – 30 June, The Foreign Policy Centre held four policy briefings under the rubric 'A Blueprint for Russia.' The briefings explored political change in Russia as it affects three key policy areas: law and the abuse of power, the economy and business confidence and politics and pluralism in Russia through the expertise of Karinna Moskalenko and Professor William Butler, Andrei Klepach and Gabriel Stein as well as Maria Lipman and Dr. Alex Pravda. The final briefing was for journalists and featured the expertise of Dr. Alex Pravda and Professor Margot Light, who explored possible themes for Russia's upcoming presidency of the G-8.

In collaboration with many of the speakers, and several other contributors, including Mikhail Kasyanov, the former Prime Minister of Russia, The Foreign Policy Centre is currently creating a pamphlet entitled 'A Blueprint for Russia'.

Oleg Panfilov, Director of the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations, Moscow and Michael Binyon, leader writer at The Times, delivered an incisive analysis of Putin and the media in Russia. The seminar focused on the challenges of state controlled media facing journalists in the transitional post-Soviet era and questioned what action should be taken now.

Download the event report (30 kilobyte PDF)

Inside Putin's Russia: Can there be Reform without Democracy?

On 26 May 2005 Andrew Jack, former Moscow Bureau Chief of the Financial Times, launched the paperback edition of his book Inside Putin's Russia.

Inside Putin's Russia digs behind the rumours and speculation, illuminating Putin's character and the changing nature of the Russia he rules. Andrew Jack, to much critical acclaim, sheds light on Putin's thinking, style and effectiveness as president. With Putin's second term just beginning, this invaluable book offers important insights for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of Russia.

The FPC held a breakfast seminar on 8 April 2005 with Andrei Kunov and Alexei Sitnikov, Senior Researchers of the Open Economy Institute, Moscow, to assess the future of parliamentary democracy in Russia.

After almost a year since the last State Duma election and Vladimir Putin's re-election, few people remember how many voters supported the party of power - United Russia - and the large gap between Putin and the runner-up, communist Nikolai Kharitonov. Opposition calls for a recount of the Duma election went nowhere, and many questions that came up as a result of the last electoral cycle remain unanswered.

Yet many of these questions are crucial for understanding the present and future of the Russian electoral landscape, and hence the future of the country's democratic development. The results of the research carried out by the Open Economy Institute track the flow of votes and electorate support among political parties between different electoral cycles, beginning in 1995. The authors argue that the Russian electorate is now far less predictable in its political preferences than in the beginning of modern Russian electoral history.

Download event report (40 kilobyte PDF)

On 31 March 2005 the FPC held a major one-day international conference bringing together prominent Russian experts to assess the implications of President Vladimir Putin's five years in power for Russia and for Russian foreign policy.

The conference was introduced by Carsten Sondergaard, the Danish State Secretary for Foreign and Security Policy. Other speakers included Dr Alex Pravda, University of Oxford, Anastasia Nesvetailova, University of Sussex, Bridget Kendall MBE, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent, Dr Vadim Malkin, Russian Axis, Paul Melling, Baker and McKenzie, Moscow, Dr Gabor Beszterczey, New Eurasia Foundation and Dr Thomas Gomart, head of the Russia/CIS programme at IFRI.

Download the conference report (100 kilobyte PDF)

How can the UK and its partners use bilateral diplomacy and multilateral organisations to promote freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial and the right to free and fair elections in Russia?

This breakfast seminar on 2 March 2005 with David Atkinson, the Council of Europe's Co-Rapporteur on Russian Commitments, addressed Russia's human rights situation through the lens of the legal and administrative reforms of Vladimir Putin. How effective are the Council of Europe and the OSCE at upholding rights, and how will Russia's relationship with them develop?

At an FPC retreat held at Ditchley Park on 11-13 February 2005, leading figures in the UK and Russian parliaments exchanged views on recent challenges to democracy and the rule of law in Russia, current economic trends and opportunities, and convergence and divergence between Russia and the West.

The conference was organised by the Foreign Policy Centre in collaboration with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia and the Russia Foundation, with the aim of creating better and longer-lasting links between the two parliaments, and attempting to combat common Russian-British issues.

Participants included politicians from across the political spectrum, as well as leading experts on Russia including Professor Archie Brown of Oxford University, Lilia Fedorovna Shevtsova, Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Jonathan Steele, of the Guardian. A report of the discussions held at the retreat will be available shortly.

The Foreign Policy Centre launched its Russia programme in November 2004, with the aim, to revitalise the question of Russian Democratic Governance as one of the major European issues of today. Furthermore, the programme aims to increase understanding between Russia and Britain on the various shared issues that both countries currently face.

Download the report (170 kilobyte PDF)

As part of the Future of Russia project, the Foreign Policy Centre held a breakfast seminar on Wednesday 26 January.

The main speakers were Andrew Jack, recently returned Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times, Professor Phil Hanson, University of Birmingham and Dr Alena Ledeneva, University College London.

Participants discussed the impact of challenges to the rule in law in Russia to foreign investment and the wider economy.

The seminar also saw the launch of the FPC's latest publication: Kremlin Echo Three views on Presidential Power, Labour and the Economy

For further enquiries regarding the Russia programme please contact Jennifer Moll, russia@fpc.org.uk, 020 7388 6662.

• Read Kremlin Echo

On 4th November 2004, four Russian economists from the Open Economy Institute in Moscow led a seminar at the House of Commons. Participants discussed the relationship between political change in Russia, economic stability and international confidence.

Download the report (70 kilobyte PDF)