Resisting the Abuse of Political Power
Where We Are Now The struggle between the people and their rulers, between democracy and tyranny, is as old as human civilisation. Throughout history these intrinsic patterns of human behaviour…
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.
The thin end of the wedge: The UK and escalating global authoritarianism
Western democracies are facing significant political upheavals and domestic crises from populism to coronavirus to Brexit – events which are diluting their core political values. Such upheavals are occurring in…
War as a sign of weakness: Failure of reforms and of reframing the Russian nation
Putin’s war so far has achieved all the opposite to the declared goals – NATO came even closer to its borders; Ukraine became more militarised; the most loyal to neutrality,…
Dividing Lines – Executive Summary
In the post 9/11 political landscape, politics is increasingly characterised by division. Whilst international politics has long been characterised by differences between states, shifts in global politics have contributed to…
Dividing Lines – Introduction: Sectarianism as a boundary making process
“There are few areas in the sociology of religion that are of greater inherent interest than that of sectarianism. In the study of religious sects, we come across a range…
Can national unity cure sectarian division? The potential pitfalls of nationalist protest discourses
What can foster peace and unity in societies that are deeply divided along sectarian lines? And what may lead to a reimagining of the political role of sectarian divides? These…
Divided we stand: Intra-Muslim sectarianism and solidarity in post-Brexit Britain
On 9th June 2022, an obscure historical epic about the early years of Islam made headlines when leading UK film chain Cineworld made the decision to cancel all screenings in…
Sectarianism in the Divided States of America
‘Sectarianism’ has traditionally referred to group conflict structured by religious differences, especially within the same faith. Study of the phenomenon has largely been confined to zones with violent conflict, especially…
Indian sectarianism: The cultural and the political
There has been considerable debate on Indian secularism but very little on Indian sectarianism. India has remained a ‘divided society’ but without sustained sectarian violence. However, in the last eight…
The convergence of racial politics and sectarianism in Malaysia
The Muslim-majority countries of Southeast Asia – Indonesia and Malaysia – are known for its ethnically plural societies. This is in part an outcome of Chinese and Indian labour migration…