Lessons from Brexit: (Re)balancing Euroscepticism
As the Brexit process appears to be drawing to an uncertain close, there are still lessons to be learned from the past three years for the United Kingdom and the…
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.
Decentralisation: learning from the Jordanian Experience
Decentralisation is now a core part of the development agenda. Moving resources and powers to local government and closer to communities is widely regarded as essential, if developing countries –…
Hui Muslims in China’s ‘Little Mecca’: Fusing Islamic and Han Practices
There has been much discussion in the global media of China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims in its far western province of Xinjiang. Meanwhile, much less is known about the Hui,…
The state of Islamic threat in Central Asia: assessing the threat of terrorism from Central Asia
As Islamic State faces its demise as a territorial unit in the Middle East it is worth considering why it was so attractive to so many Central Asians The spate…
Rethinking Refugee Support: Responding to the Crisis in South East Europe
This report finds that recent changes in EU border management have limited refugees’ movement across Europe, and as such, have resulted in outsourcing of refugee settlement and care to states…
Understanding the Romanian Diaspora
Diasporas have been researched extensively, in both current and historical contexts. This essay is the first in a series that aims to deliver a fresh perspective by focusing on the…
Academic Freedom in Hungary’s Authoritarian State Capitalism
Authoritarian leaders find it hard to tolerate independent voices, and academic freedom is no different. After Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán announced the year of the ‘culture war’, the…
Responding to terrorism requires social cohesion, not censorship
Governments across Europe regularly invoke the threat of terrorism to limit freedom of expression beyond what is permitted under international law. Journalists, activists and ordinary social media users are subject…
Why would a Third Country Root for Soft Brexit? Views and Lessons from Turkey
The British and the Europeans are not the only two publics, holding their breath and waiting for the outcome of Brexit. Turkey is also observing the situation, hoping for the…
The China–US Trade War and the Future of the Liberal Economic Order
The topic on every internationally minded Chinese person’s lips when in conversation with a Westerner appears to be the US-China trade war. The following text summaries my informal discussions over…