Global Britain for an open world? – Executive Summary
Open societies around the world and the international system that supports them are under growing threat. This publication provides detailed analysis and practical ideas for how the UK can meet…
Articles, Briefings and Essays
The views expressed in the articles are those of each respective author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the Foreign Policy Centre.
Examining the importance of open societies to the UK’s ‘force for good’ ambitions
This publication comes at a moment of transition for UK foreign policy as Britain seeks to put into practice the Government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy…
The importance of open societies to the UK’s ‘force for good’ ambition – A politician’s perspective
If all politics is local, then it is also personal. I did not become a politician because of some abstract theory. I became a politician because I was free to…
Soft Power and the UK’s ‘force for good’ ambitions
‘Soft power’ is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as ‘the use of a country's cultural and economic influence to persuade other countries to do something, rather than the use…
Bringing politics back in: The implications of the FCDO’s focus on open societies for diplomacy and development
What differentiates an ‘open society’ What are open societies? The famed camel comes to mind: open societies may be hard to define but they are easy to recognise. Given the…
The centrality of women’s political leadership to democratic governance, open societies, and human rights
Why does it matter It matters who we elect to lead our communities and our country. Their values and priorities shape our future. If all of those leaders have the…
Leading by example: Renewing UK democracy at home
The rationale for elevating open societies and human rights as a major British foreign and development policy priority is clear. There have been 15 consecutive years of declining civic space…
Countering authoritarianism
Since the Financial Crisis in 2007-8, democratisation has stalled and even gone into reverse. Authoritarianism is proliferating worldwide, including even at the heart of Europe. According to Freedom House, a…
Anti-corruption and open societies
It is not by accident that the most common metaphor in anti-corruption is the contention that ‘sunlight is the best of disinfectants’. It was popularised by soon-to-be US Supreme Court…
Supercharging UK support to the rule of law abroad
The rule of law and the Integrated Review The rule of law’s place in the Integrated Review is something of a walk on part.[1] Alongside a commitment to universal…