Protest as a Tool for Political and Social Change
Protests play an important part in the civil and political life of democratic societies. Georgia’s civil society has long been a good example of an engaged and informed citizenry, with…
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.
A Tale of Two Recycling Initiatives: State, Society and Waste Management in St Petersburg and Shanghai
Its 7pm on a summery evening in a typical Shanghai housing estate, and the public courtyards are bustling with people. Residents of all ages descend from their apartments carrying bags…
Pleasing China, appeasing at home: Central Asia and the Xinjiang camps
Around 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups have been interned in China’s westernmost region of Xinjiang.[1] While the Chinese authorities say they are there of their own free…
Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: A Strategically Important Network
The Political Geography of In-betweenness There is often a complex relationship between Diasporas and their homelands. This issue was previously examined in the first paper of the ‘Understanding the Romanian…
Divided Kingdom: How do Attitudes Towards Immigration Vary Based on Demographic Differences and Voting Preferences?
Since Brexit’s inception, immigration has been a hugely dominant theme. Theresa May’s government pledged to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’, a proclamation[1] aimed at capitalising on anti-immigrant…
Hungarian opposition takes a crucial step, but still a long way to go for the left
Gergely Karácsony defeated ruling party-backed incumbent István Tarlós in the Budapest mayoral election this Sunday. With 99% of votes counted, Karácsony gained 50.9% of the votes against the 44.1% for…
Back to the Future – Why a Human Rights-Focused Foreign Policy must keep up with Technology
“Technology is, of course, a double edged sword. Fire can cook our food but also burn us.” Jason Silva, the Venezuelan-American filmmaker and public speaker Last year marked the 70th…
Brexit in the context of democracy under threat
One of the most profound characteristics of the public debates on Brexit is the substantial lack of attention to its international implications. The Brexit issue is naturally debated in the…
State-building myths in Central Asia
Countries all over the world have gone through the process of forming and developing national myths that give them their raison d’être, inspiring its citizens looking back at the forefathers.…
In the end, it’s Ukraine, not Russia, that threatens to bring down Trump
With Tuesday’s announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Democratic lawmakers will launch a formal impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump, the US president’s latest alleged effort to recruit a foreign…