UK parties are pitching a 'pragmatic' foreign policy, but can a new government make the necessary hard choices?

Labour and the Conservatives each place unusual emphasis on foreign policy in this election year. A new Chatham House paper advises what the next government must prioritize.

Backing down in the face of Russian threats is the worst option. The UK should join France in using strategic ambiguity.

As Israel appears poised to launch an offensive in Rafah, Bronwen Maddox interviews a key figure in US foreign policy on the Middle East for over a decade, Ambassador Dennis Ross.

The new Patronage continues a long history dating back to 1926.

During his trip to Europe Xi could find it hard to address the damage wrought by COVID-19 and Beijing’s stance on Ukraine. But he may exploit existing tensions with Washington.

Following a power struggle within the Communist Party of Vietnam, it is clearer than ever that its new hard-line leadership has no interest in confrontation with China or being part of an ‘anti-China’ coalition.

Not for the first time, a Western government agency suffered a major data breach where third-party contractors were exploited as a likely weak link.

Are we seeing a resurgence of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, given recent events in the Middle East and rhetoric from world leaders?

The nuclear threat is resurgent – more must be done to avert the havoc of escalation.

The case of Britons allegedly working for Russian intelligence is just one example of how Moscow is actively disrupting normal life in Europe and the Baltic region.

The $300 billion of immobilized assets can only partly address the cost of Ukraine’s survival and reconstruction. There should be no qualms about confiscating it.

The G7 must weigh the benefits of confiscation against potentially large but uncertain costs.

The government will need to be clearer on how the spending increase will be funded and where the UK will direct its focus.

Tanzania’s rising economic influence and its ambitions for major cross-border infrastructure projects demand a more proactive approach to foreign policy. The policy review currently under way is a chance for the country to reach its potential as a regional leader and reliable global partner.

President Biden has finally signed the $61 billion aid bill for Ukraine, but has help arrived too late for Ukraine and is momentum now back with Russia?

To break through Libya’s political stalemate, the UN must be willing to pursue a bolder strategy, despite the risks of failure.

The essential aid package will allow Kyiv to slow down Russian forces. But the delay had a real cost for Ukraine, and a secure long-term funding model is required.

This paper discusses six kinds of humanitarian arrangements intended to provide some security to civilians caught in armed conflict – notifications, evacuations, humanitarian corridors, suspensions of hostilities, protected zones and no-fly zones – outlining relevant international law, identifying operational challenges, and making recommendations for good practice.

Alliance countries need better understanding of the risks to their undersea infrastructure, and improved signalling to deter Russian sabotage and hybrid attacks.

Beijing’s diplomatic activism shows it is worried Iran–Israel tit-for-tat may undermine Saudi–Iran reconciliation.

Direct clashes between Israel and Iran have brought the Middle East to the brink of a regional war. Will both sides de-escalate or have tensions reached the point of no return?

The judgement shows litigation can be used to hold governments to account on their climate ambitions – but much will depend on policy outcomes.

Conventional, publicly capitalized financial instruments are the only way to mobilize private finance on a very large scale.

For Western governments, India’s status as the world’s largest democracy is one of the key pillars for engagement with New Delhi, even though India rarely uses democracy promotion as an overt tool of its foreign policy. There is potential, too, for an erosion of India’s democratic credentials to limit the scope for cooperation in particularly sensitive areas, and to raise questions about India’s claim to offer a worldview that is non-Western but not explicitly anti-Western.

The strikes demonstrated a more assertive approach from Tehran, but the region’s security now depends on Israel’s ability to play a longer game.

While the global economy is showing signs of strong growth, public debt levels in emerging markets are rising at an alarming rate.

Israel’s attack signalled a shift in its strategy towards Iran. Tehran’s response and the US promise of ‘ironclad’ support for Israel risks escalation of this transnational conflict.

Prime Minister Kishida’s state visit to Washington focused on security, but that alone will not be enough to influence the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Tehran’s dilemma is finding a response that maintains its position in the ‘axis of resistance’ but does not precipitate an escalation which it would likely lose.

Millions are at risk as a result of Sudan’s devastating civil war, but attention lies largely elsewhere. Has the world failed the people of Sudan?