FPC Briefing: Da’ish, the Ikhwan and Lessons from History
This FPC Briefing from Dr Simon Mabon and Grant Helm explores the historical antecedents of Da'ish and their complicated relationship with the rulers of Saudi Arabia.
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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.
FPC Briefing: Saudi Arabia – US Relations and the Failure of Riyadh’s Securitization Project
Following the signing of the nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran in late 2015, relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States have become increasingly fractious. Since then, with…
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Sharing Worst Practice Executive Summary
The findings of Sharing worst practice: How countries and institutions in the former Soviet Union help create legal tools of repression highlight the clear similarities in the types of repressive…
Introduction: Sharing worst practice in the former Soviet Union
Sharing worst practice: How countries and institutions in the former Soviet Union help create legal tools of repression examines the extent to which governments across the former Soviet Union (FSU)…
The ‘Moscow Consensus’: Constructing autocracy in post-Soviet Eurasia
For the past decade, the annual report from Freedom House on political and civil liberties has made for sombre reading. Every year for the past 12 years it has marked…
How countries and institutions in the former Soviet Union help create legal tools of repression
The recent history of law making in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has been characterised by a significant number of countries adopting laws that suffocate civil society and limit human…
Russia’s influence in shrinking civic space in Central Asia
Since gaining their independence in 1991, the five countries of Central Asia have never been easy places to be a human rights defender (HRD). From the very beginning, when international…
Legislating against foreign funding of human rights – A tool of repression in the former Soviet Union
The ability of civil society organisations (hereinafter referred to as non-governmental organisations or ‘NGOs’) to seek, secure and use resources, including foreign funding, is a fundamental component of their right…
Russia’s ‘traditional values’ leadership
The trend: State enforcement of traditional values Over the last ten years, the countries of the former Soviet Union have seen a growing trend of legislation aimed at protecting the…
Freedom of the media under attack across the former Soviet Union
Leaders in the majority of countries of the former Soviet Union have long viewed the expression of alternative viewpoints and dissent as a threat, establishing economic and legislative environments that…