It is fair to say that 2025 was always going to be unsettled and unpredictable, but by any measure, it has been an extraordinary year – a period of geopolitical turbulence in which Chatham House has often found itself at the centre.
We have seen some of the world’s most influential leaders come through our iconic blue front door, keen to debate and engage on the biggest topics of the day at one of the world’s premier discussion venues.
A review of an extraordinary year
They included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte; Dr Comfort Ero, President of the International Crisis Group; former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence; President of Israel Isaac Herzog; Foreign Minister of Syria Asaad Al-Shaibani and many others. All as part of Chatham House’s mission to address geopolitical challenges and international problems, and to convene meetings of the people and organizations that can bring about change.
We have also been proud to see our staff and associates respond to geopolitical turbulence by producing in-depth publications with recommendations and policy impact generated through evidence-based research and discussions with policymakers.
In my Director’s Lecture at the start of this year, I spoke about the importance of finding agreement in this new fluid, contested world. That remains true.
US foreign policy reversal
President Donald Trump’s paradigm shift in US foreign policy during his second term has affected almost every aspect of our work and has been the catalyst of many world events.
Sweeping trade tariffs, military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and Venezuelan ‘drug cartels’, dismantling US overseas aid and questioning international laws and norms – all these have kept our experts busy analysing what this means for the rest of the world.
Many conversations were hosted at Chatham House on the implications both publicly and privately. As well as Mike Pence, key speakers from the US included former US Secretary of State and Climate Envoy John Kerry and US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer.
Our experts analysed Trump’s second UK state visit and scrutinized other countries’ attempts to gain favour with the president – not least European leaders over the war in Ukraine.
Future of Europe
That ongoing war, increased Russian ‘grey zone’ aggression, and the crisis facing European leaders over defence, security and economic competitiveness, have been central themes of our work this year.
In June we were honoured to welcome President Zelenskyy to Chatham House, and other Ukrainian figures such as Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
European leaders included Elina Valtonen, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alistair Carns, UK Minister for the Armed Forces and more, all warning audiences about the need for Europe to wean itself off dependency on the US and bolster its own defence industries. Our Berlin conference in December on ‘Europe’s Strategic Choices’ analysed Europe’s urgent need to respond to new US policy and to China.
Our renowned security and defence conference convened sober discussions and our Ukraine Forum continues to lead the field in discussions about Ukrainian politics and civil society. Experts dissected key moments such as the White House ‘ambush’ of Zelenskyy in February, Trump and Putin’s surprise Alaska summit, and continuing battlefield clashes.
Middle East turmoil
The war in Gaza, its catastrophic humanitarian impact and its domino effect on the region continued to dominate the work of our Middle East programme and beyond.
In June, I called upon the UK government to recognize the State of Palestine, and we received both Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK as well as Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, on the Chatham House stage, in addition to numerous private roundtables on the conflict.
Our experts were much in demand to provide analysis about the milestone US air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other significant developments including Israel’s September air strike on Doha, a key US ally in the Middle East, its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and tackling the threat to shipping from Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani drew enormous interest when he spoke at Chatham House, marking his first public appearance in the UK since the fall of the Assad regime, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani addressed our seventh annual Iraq Initiative Conference during a pivotal election year.
China
Our researchers have examined China’s ever-increasing influence on global affairs and what its ambitions for the world might be – particularly in light of the US retreat from multilateralism.
Through events and research, we have explored the China–US rivalry, interrogated China’s regional competition with India, examined Beijing’s desire to establish itself as an AI superpower that sets the global rules in this new technological arena, and made recommendations about how the UK government should engage with China.
Our experts have also looked at China as a ‘reluctant climate leader’ ahead of COP30 and analysed China’s clean tech charm offensive.
Researchers have provided analysis on Chinese espionage in light of the China spy case and the UK’s indecision over approving the Chinese embassy in London. We’ve commented on China’s show of power at its annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, and at the victory parade attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A key part of our work also focused on the West’s and China’s engagement with the Global South.
Global South and a new order
It is clear that many nations no longer want to be wholly aligned with superpowers such as the US or China. A new multilateralism is emerging in which emerging nations are seeking the chance to influence rules and alliances.
We hosted key speakers, including Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf M. Tuggar; Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar; Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Professor Muhammad Yunus; Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique A Manalo; Senior Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong and many more, all to discuss how emerging economies are responding to the turmoil of 2025.
The Africa programme’s longstanding SNAG project on corruption in Nigeria culminated in a conference in Abuja, and our experts produced research on topics such as the role of the illicit gold trade in Sudan’s brutal war.
All this is just a small fraction of the vital work carried out by Chatham House this year.
The policy impact that our experts had is also worthy of mention. This included delivering evidence to UK parliamentary select committees on issues from European security to nuclear proliferation; playing a crucial role in pushing through the UN resolution that approved the 5,500-strong ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to restore security in Haiti; and influencing negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty.
We are grateful for all those who continue to support Chatham House, those speakers who are willing to have their ideas tested and questioned in our forums and for the many people who make our work possible. We look forward to whatever 2026 might bring.