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

By Catherine Owen.

Russia specialist Catherine Owen gives the FPC her take on unfolding political events in Russia, following the December 4th Duma elections. She examines the voting problems and the response of both the ruling elite and nascent opposition.

Download the article (330 kilobyte PDF)

By Tanweer Ali.

In a new FPC Briefing Tanweer Ali examines worrying trends in human rights standards in the Czech Republic.

Download FPC Briefing: Human Rights in the Czech Republic (220 kilobyte PDF)

By Dr Andrew Monaghan.

FPC Senior Research Associate Andrew Monaghan gives his take on the historical and political challenges to be overcome by both the UK and Russia in order to improve their relationship.

Download UK-Russia Relations: a Bad Case of Mutual Misunderstandings (330 kilobyte PDF)

Andrei Piontkovsky

January 2006

Download East or West? (190 kilobyte PDF)

The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a geopolitical earthquake that redrew the map of Europe and Central Asia. In his state-of-the-nation address, in April 2005, Russia's President Vladimir Putin went so far as to describe it as the 'biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century'. His declaration caused a stir among the world's political scientists, sociologists, economists and even philosophers. Yet the full import of his words was lost on much of his foreign audience. 'For the Russian people', Putin continued, the collapse of the Soviet Union 'became a real drama'.

Further information 

Jennifer Moll (ed.)

August 2005

Download Blueprint for Russia (250 kilobyte PDF)

This FPC publication explores political change in Russia. It is now available for purchase and will be launched at the FPC's Fringe Event at the Labour Party Conference.

Utilising each author's expertise, this pamphlet compiles a broad range of opinions to outline a Blueprint for Russia. The contributions focus on political change in Russia as it relates to the three key policy areas of law, the economy and political pluralism.

Further information 

Raffaella Murano

July 2005

Download Political Abuse of Judicial Process in Europe's East (110 kilobyte PDF)

This policy brief outlines some of the negative trends in rule of law compliance in the CIS, examining Russia, Ukraine and giving special consideration to the Republic of Moldova and the case of former Defence Minister, Valeriu Pasat. These negative trends represent a new pattern, whereby leaders are abusing newly constructed judicial systems to achieve extra-judicial, political goals.

CIS leaders must act now to regain the trust of their citizens by making sweeping changes, both physically and functionally to judicial systems. Other European countries and their multilateral institutions (EU, CoE and OSCE) need to acknowledge the emerging negative trend of judicial abuse and deliver both political incentives and assistance programmes more likely to have strategic effects on the practices of CIS judicial systems.

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