The situation of human rights in de facto states of Europe such as Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria and South Ossetia often stay outside of the spotlight of the international attention. In order to shed light on current situation in de facto states, the side-event will gather speakers who directly work on the ground and can share first-hand experience of existing challenges and available means of solution. There will also be a ...

On 10 September the Foreign Policy Centre and the Richardson Institute at the University of Lancaster hosted a conference entitled Solutions to Sectarianism? Examining efforts at ‘de-sectarianisation’ across the Middle East, part of the Sectarianism, Proxies & De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project. The conference explored the role of sectarian identities in an increasingly complex and fluid Middle East. It seeked to move forward from the analysis of the regional situation provided by ...

This Foreign Policy Centre event is seeking to explore Turkmenistan, perhaps the least well known or understood of the Central Asian states. It will focus on how the country is being governed and what this means for the rule of law, corruption, the economy and human rights in Turkmenistan, while analysing its relations with neighbours and the international community. Turkmenistan is currently in the midst of an economic crisis that ...

Britain’s place in the world, and its future role internationally are the subject to both great uncertainty and increased scrutiny in the context of the Brexit Debate. Britain’s political class are divided over whether it will further erode and diminish our global influence or whether it will spark a new ‘Global Britain’ approach, enhancing our international prestige and renewing our relationships. It is a debate taking place against the backdrop ...

This Foreign Policy Centre and Article 19 seminar seeks to examine the similarities and differences between the approach being taken by Russia, the UK and a number of EU member states in managing the online lives of their citizens. The event will explore ways to tackle challenges related to protection of freedom of expression online. The seminar will examine how Roskomnadzor, the Russian state censorship agency, operates a blacklist of websites and ...

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the cease fire agreement in the conflict over the former Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority area within Azerbaijan during the Soviet-era. The brutal war that ended in May 1994 has been replaced by a bitter stalemate, a ceasefire that is regularly broken by bouts of violence along the line of contact that sees scores of soldiers and civilians killed each year. Seven neighbouring ...

This Foreign Policy Centre and Aston Centre for Europe seminar will explore how Anglo-Turkish relations have historically fluctuated between animosity and partnership. Following high-profile government visits on both sides in the past two years, the seminar will explore whether the relationship is at the start of a potentially new phase. Following the Brexit referendum and the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, both countries seemed to have approached each other ...

This Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) event, supported by the Justice for Journalists Foundation, will examine the safety risks faced by journalists searching for the truth against powerful interests. The event will focus on what steps can be taken to help prevent attacks on journalists, increase their security and find ways to deter those who would wish to stop their work through violent means. It will examine the main obstacles faced ...

This Foreign Policy Centre event will seek to address the often overlooked Southern Question, exploring the longstanding roots of the Southern Movement in Yemen (al-Hirak al-Janoubi) and the key challenges facing southern Yemen today, including the creation in 2017 of the Southern Transitional Council who are kindly supporting this event. The event will explore the position of ‘the South’ amid the competing factions for Yemen’s future and the current state ...

This Foreign Policy Centre and Aston Centre for Europe seminar will examine the worsening conditions in refugee camps and increasing border violence in the EU’s transit zones, particularly in Greece, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. It will explore the impact of EU policies both specifically in the area of asylum and border closures, and more broadly such as the EU-Turkey deal and initiatives funded through the ECHO programme. There are concerns ...