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To order hardcopies of any of the titles listed below, send a cheque made payable to 'The Foreign Policy Centre' for the appropriate amount plus £1 P&P, and specify which title(s) you would like to receive, to: FPC, Suite 14, 2nd floor, 23-28 Penn St, London N1 5DL, UK.

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Become a member of the Foreign Policy Centre and you will receive the following benefits:

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The views expressed in all Foreign Policy Centre publications are those of the authors alone.

Geoffrey Cameron

Download A Revolution Without Rights? (3.14 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In this new Foreign Policy Centre pamphlet, written by Geoffrey Cameron and Tahirih Danesh, the authors examine the religious, legal and social obstacles to equality faced by women, Baha'is and Kurds in Iran, comparing the experiences of the groups.

Cameron and Danesh evaluate the Iranian government's compliance with its own constitution and look at how Iran's treatment of women and minorities measures up to the international agreements it has signed. The pamphlet lays out practical steps that British and European policy-makers can take to support the equal treatment of women and minorities with their fellow citizens in Iran.

The pamphlet will be launched on Tue 25 Nov at 6.15pm in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House. Full events details can be found on our homepage: www.fpc.org.uk

If you would like to attend, please send your details by email to: events@fpc.org.uk

Geoffrey Cameron and Tahirih Danesh

Download A Revolution Without Rights? - Executive Summary (Farsi) (90 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This is the Farsi translation of the Executive Summary of the new Foreign Policy Centre pamphlet written by Geoffrey Cameron and Tahirih Danesh, in which the authors examine the religious, legal and social obstacles to equality faced by women, Baha'is and Kurds in Iran.

Adam Hug (Ed.)

Download the pamphlet (1.36 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This FPC pamphlet supported by Business for New Europe makes the economic and business case for Turkish membership of the European Union and outlines the political challenges faced by both sides in making accession a reality.

Edited by Adam Hug, it contains contributions from: Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Rt Hon William Hague MP, Commissioner Olli Rehn, Roland Rudd (Chairman, Business for New Europe) Dr Mehmet Ugur (University of Greenwich), Prof Refik Erzan (Bogazici University), Dr Bahadir Kaleagasi (TUSIAD, the Turkish business association), Sir Julian Horn Smith, (UK Co-Chair, Turkish British Business Council) and Dr Gareth Winrow (formerly of Istanbul Bilgi University).

Feng Zhang, FPC China Programme Manager

In association with Coca-Cola Great Britain

Download the background paper (140 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This is an initial background paper to accompany the FPC project on Corporate Social Responsibility in Emerging Markets in association with Coca-Cola Great Britain.

Alan Johnson

Order Today

Download The Democratiya Interviews (1.36 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Price: £9.95 + £2 p&p (UK orders) / US$45 (overseas orders)

This book brings together a series of conversations about the dilemmas of progressive foreign policy after 9/11. Democratiya editor Alan Johnson talks to Jean Bethke Elshtain, Martin Shaw, Kanan Makiya, Paul Berman, David Held, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Ladan Boroumand, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Joshua Muravchik and Mary Kaldor.

Alan Johnson is founder and editor of Democratiya, and Professor of Democratic Theory and Practice at Edge Hill University. He is the co-author of the Euston Manifesto, a founder member of Labour Friends of Iraq, and an advisory editor of Engage Journal. He is the co-editor of Leadership and Social Movements and the co-author (with Abdullah Muhsin) of Hadi Never Died: Hadi Saleh and the Iraqi Trade Unions.

To order:

Send a cheque for £11.95 (for UK orders) made payable to The Foreign Policy Centre or an international money order for US$45 (for overseas orders) to: The Foreign Policy Centre (Book Orders), Suite 14, 2nd Floor, 23-28 Penn Street, London N1 5DL, UK. Make clear you are ordering 'Global Politics After 9/11' and include your full postal address.

• Order Online using Paypal (via Democratiya)

Alex Bigham (Ed.)

14 July 2007

Download the report (440 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The final report of the Iraq Commission Report is available to download here.

The Foreign Policy Centre, in conjunction with Channel 4, set up an independent, cross-party Commission tasked with producing a blueprint for Britain's future involvement in Iraq.

The Commission Report was launched in a special programme on Saturday 14 July at 7.30pm, televised on Channel 4. The report will be delivered to the incoming Prime Minister and the leaders of the main political parties.

FUTURE OF IRAQ EVENT: Debate the findings and response to The Iraq Commission Report on 24 July at LSE. More details: http://fpc.org.uk/events/131

For more details about The Iraq Commission, please email Alex Bigham at alex.bigham[at]fpc.org.uk, or visit The Commission website at: www.channel4.com/iraqcommission

Alex Bigham (Ed.)

The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to launch of the new report, 'Having Faith in Foreign Policy'. This collection of essays brings together faith leaders and intellectuals to discuss, debate and attempt to answer some of the most vexed questions of our age: what is the relationship between religion and the state in a post-modern society; what is the interaction between faith, conflict and development and how can governments and leaders reach out to citizens who may feel disengaged from foreign policy?

This report and event are supported by HE Anthony Bailey, KCSS, Eligo International (www.eligo.net) and the Grand Magistral Delegation for Inter-Religious Relations of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (www.constantinian.com).

Josephine Osikena

Hill & Knowlton

20 January 2007

Download the report (190 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

by Josephine Osikena

The Foreign Policy Centre recently hosted a seminar and reception entitled: "Redefining Multilateralism: The Commonwealth as a Catalyst for Change?" The event was addressed by John Battle MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development and Rt Hon Donald McKinnon, Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

In May 2006 the Prime Minister argued that:

"There is a "hopeless mismatch" between the global challenges we face and the global institutions available to confront them,[…] now is the moment for reconciliation in the international community around a unifying agenda for global action."

Today there are a number of obstacles to promoting international co-operation. From the indefinite suspension of the Doha Development Round, to developing a reformed United Nations system which meets the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. We witness the crisis in the International Monetary Fund and the growing irrelevance of the Work Bank in meeting today's global development concerns.

This discussion paper is a response to some of those challenges, and is intended to provoke debate about how to respond to new ideas about multilateralism

The event and paper was kindly sponsored by Hill and Knowlton.

Joshua Cooper Ramo

Supported by Hill & Knowlton

February 2007 £9.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Brand China (260 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In this new report, from the author of the widely discussed paper 'The Beijing Consensus', Ramo argues that China's national image, and the misalignment between China's image of itself and how it is viewed by the rest of the world, may be its greatest strategic threat. It argues that alongside its other reforms, China needs a 'fifth transition' if the trust and understanding necessary for the next stage of its development are to be achieved.

For press enquiries, call 020 7729 7566 or 07830 195 812.

This paper has been kindly supported by Hill & Knowlton.

5 February 2007

Download Time to Talk (390 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Military attack on Iran would have disastrous consequences warns new report: Coalition urges new diplomatic push to avoid crisis

Military action against Iran could have disastrous global consequences according to a new report published today by a diverse group of organisations including Oxfam, the Foreign Policy Centre, faith groups and others.

On the one year anniversary of Iran's referral to the Security Council, a new joint report by 15 organisations - including think tanks, aid agencies, religious groups and Trade Unions - warns that, despite the seriousness of the situation, there is still 'time to talk'. This must be used to avoid an escalation with potentially disastrous consequences.

The report urges the UK government to work with allies in a sustained effort to find a diplomatic solution. In particular, they should push for:

• Face to face talks between Iran and the US
• A compromise on the suspension of uranium enrichment as a precondition for negotiation
• Further development of a 'grand bargain' in which the EU offer of June 2006 is developed further to include security guarantees between Israel, Iran and the US.

"The consequences of military action against Iran are not only unpalatable, they are unthinkable. Even according to the worst estimates, Iran is still years away from having a nuclear weapon. There is still time to talk and the Prime Minister must make sure our allies use it," said Stephen Twigg, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre.

According to the report, military action against Iran could:

• Further jeopardise the prospects of peace taking root in the Middle East - Long standing Iranian links to Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia groups in Iraq, along with the presence of significant minority Shia populations in Saudi Arabia, could lead to severe destabilisation throughout the Middle East.
• Severely undermine hopes for stability in Iraq - Iran has several thousand intelligence agents operating in the Shia region of Iraq and has been accused of arming Shia insurgents. A decision to activate insurgent units could lead to a massive escalation in violence.
• Bolster the position of hard-liners and set back chances of reform within Iran - Recent municipal elections suggest that the bellicose rhetoric of Ahmadinejad is beginning to lose appeal. Over the winter there have been fuel shortages and inflation continues to rise. Ahmadinejad's popularity is waning. Military strikes would unify Iranians, ignite greater nationalist feeling and undermine the growing prospects of an internal shift in power.
• Push developing countries into greater poverty – If military action led to an increase in oil prices. For example, a $10 increase in oil price could drop the GDPs of Sub-Saharan African states by an average of 3% with serious implications for those already living in poverty.
• Damage UK, US and European economies – if oil prices rose to $100 per barrel this could increase the risk of recession.
• Threaten serious environmental contamination - Bombing could result in radioactive contamination, oil slicks and oil well fires that could take years to deal with.
• Increase the terror threat to the UK by fuelling resentment and bolstering extremists.

The report will be launched at: The Foreign Press Association, 11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ at 10.30am on Monday 5 February 2007

For more information, a copy of the report or interviews please contact Alex Bigham on: alex.bigham[at]fpc.org.uk

The Coalition includes: Amicus, Amos Trust, British Muslim Forum, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Foreign Policy Centre, GMB, International Physicians against the Prevention of Nuclear War, Medact, Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Parliament, Ockenden International, Oxfam, Oxford Research Group, Pax Christi, PCS, People and Planet, Unison.

http://www.crisisiran.com/

Download the report (130 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

A Farsi translation of the Executive summary of Time to Talk is available for download.

Foreign Policy Centre

4 December 2006 £9.95 (plus P&P), plus £1 p+p.

Download Balochis of Pakistan: On the margins of history (450 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

On 4 December 2006, the Foreign Policy Centre held a seminar on Balochistan, a volatile region of Pakistan. This was part of a series of events the Foreign Policy Centre is organising in Parliament on conflicts that receive little attention in the media or elsewhere.

The meeting launched the FPC report, Balochis of Pakistan: On the margins of history.

STEPHEN TWIGG, the FPC's Director said:

"This pamphlet sets out a powerful and well argued case that the Balochi people have been let down - by the British Empire, by the founders of modern India and by successive Governments in Pakistan. It is a fascinating analysis which we hope will contribute to constructive discussion about Balochistan's future."

Tony Blair

APCO Worldwide

Download A Global Alliance for Global Values (590 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Date: Thursday 14 September 2006

The Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett will today launch a pamphlet authored by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The pamphlet was inspired by a set of 3 landmark speeches made earlier this year.

TONY BLAIR says in the report:

"The situation we face is indeed war, but of a completely unconventional kind. And it can't be won in a conventional way. We will not win the battle against global extremism unless we win it at the level of values as much as force.

"Doing this requires us to change dramatically the focus of our policy. We must commit ourselves to a complete renaissance of our strategy to defeat those that threaten us.

"We need to construct an alliance of moderation that paints a future in which Muslim, Jew and Christian, Arab and western, wealthy and developing nations can make progress in peace and harmony with each other.

"A great danger is that global politics divides into "hard" and "soft": the "hard" get after the terrorists; the "soft" campaign against poverty. That divide is dangerous because interdependence makes all these issues just that: interdependent. The answer to terrorism is the universal application of global values. The answer to poverty is the same. That is why the struggle for global values has to be applied not selectively, but to the whole global agenda.

"I also acknowledge that the state of the Middle East Peace Process and the stand-off between Israel and Palestine remains a - perhaps the - genuine source of anger in the Arab and Muslim world, going far beyond usual anti-western feeling. The issue of "even handedness" rankles deeply.

"We need relentlessly, vigorously, to put a viable Palestinian Government on its feet, to offer a vision of how the Roadmap to final status negotiation can happen and then pursue it, week in, week out, until it is done. Nothing else will do. Nothing else is more important to the success of our foreign policy. But it will not happen unless in each individual part the necessary energy and commitment is displayed not fitfully, but continuously.

"For my part, I have committed to making this an absolute priority for the rest of my time in office."

Responding to those who have criticised the White House:

"The strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in.

"The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved. The danger is if they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved. We want them engaged. The reality is that none of the problems that press in on us can be resolved or even contemplated without them."

STEPHEN TWIGG, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre said:

"In this Foreign Policy Centre pamphlet the Prime Minister acknowledges that mistakes have been made, but makes a plea for supporters and opponents of the war to unite in support of democracy in Iraq today.

"The most damning criticism of western foreign policy is that we display 'double standards' – for example, intervention in Iraq but not in Darfur. Bill Clinton has described the Rwanda genocide as the greatest failure of his presidency. As the Prime Minister says here 'the danger of leaving things as they are is ad-hoc coalitions that stir massive controversy about legitimacy; or paralysis in the face of crisis'.

"There is no doubt that Iraq divided the progressive coalition which welcomed Blair's Chicago speech and supported the interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone; the late Robin Cook was as eloquent in his defence of intervention in Kosovo as he was in his disagreement over Iraq. Is there an agenda around which that progressive coalition can be re-united?"

The pamphlet is being supported by APCO Worldwide.

Alex Bigham

September 2006 £14.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Voices from Iran (1.35 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The Foreign Policy Centre recently launched its latest publication, Voices from Iran, in Parliament. Based on a series of interviews with civil society actors in Iran, this publication seeks to showcase the spectrum of opinion amongst Iranians on the direction their country is taking.

'Voices from Iran' follows from a previous FPC report, Understanding Iran, where we attempted to map out the political structure in Iran and outline the FPC's belief that there needs to be a negotiated solution to the nuclear crisis, and that the failure to engage successfully with Iran is due to a failure to understand the government and its political structures.

With Iran having presented its response to the EU-3 package of incentives on the 22nd August, and a UN Security Council Resolution expired at end of this month, Iran is at the top of the international community's agenda. This new report argues that human rights, democracy and civil liberties in Iran must not be sidelined during the discussions on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Christopher J Forster

April 2006 £9.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download China's Secret Weapon (320 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Preface by Lord Charles Powell of Bayswater

The Wall Street Journal reported recently how foreign-invested R&D centres in China have almost quadrupled to 750 over the last four years. The Foreign Policy Centre report bears this out with statistics showing that China is now ranked third in the world for total R&D spending. It estimates that by 2010 China will have the same number of science and engineering graduates as the United States. The idea that China is a sweat-shop economy is very dated. Instead it is a growing challenge to the previously comfortable technological lead of the Western countries.

Further information 

Rouzbeh Pirouz, Rawan Maayeh

April 2006

Download the report (200 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Enhancing the role of civil society and other political actors within Arab countries as well as the reliability of evaluation mechanisms for informing the international community of tangible advances came under significant examination. Furthermore, given that external calls for reform are inherently limited in the absence of domestic forces, the potential for and limitations of partnerships across regional boundaries is a key theme for discussions on change.

The Civility Programme at the Foreign Policy Centre, in conjunction with the Royal Institute for International Relations (IRRI-KIIB), organised a two-day conference in Brussels to assess the merits and record of international initiatives for encouraging reform in the Arab world. The G8 Broader Middle East Initiative, the Middle East Partnership Initiative as well as the Barcelona Process were the subjects of the conference.

Thiago de Aragão

16th March 2006

Download the report (50 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Who Can Deliver Sustainable Development?: The Challenges of Economic Growth and Social Stagnation in Latin America

Latin America is a region characterised by a consistently high potential for economic and social development, but faces serious difficulties in accomplishing this task. Throughout the last few decades Latin America has experienced periods of economic growth generally followed by moments of stark recession. Such economic growth cycles have always been tremendously difficult to maintain and, most of all, use in creating positive results for social development. In some ways, the economic history of South America has been a permanent alternation of these cycles - a typical stop and go – or, 'like a chicken flying', always short and low.

This problem of inconsistent economic growth inhibits the implementation of long-lasting social plans that are more than just a 'welfare safety net' on the part of most governments. Long-term planning becomes unfeasible whenever economic imbalances generate an environment of uncertainty. These uncertainties do not relate only to Latin American public policies, but mostly to political decisions that are always dependent on the financial possibilities available at given moments. It is thus possible to begin to understand why, regardless of relatively stable phases of economic development, many current Latin American governments prefer to act in a populist way as proponents of welfare. In turn, many members of society believe that a patronising state actually provides enough to escape from poverty and develop socially.

Further information 

Dan Plesch

March 2006

Download Future of Britain's WMD (190 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This report discusses replacing Britain's Trident nuclear missile system. It examines British dependence on the United States and concludes that most of the discussion on the replacement is based on the false premise that the UK has an independent nuclear weapon. To support this conclusion the report reviews the history of Britain's involvement with nuclear weapons from 1940 to the present day to show a sixty-year-old pattern of British dependence on the US for WMD.

Further information 

Dan Plesch, Greg Austin, Fiona Grant, Stephen Sullivan

March 2006 £9.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Bio-Energy and CAP Reform (270 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Britain is falling behind on all of its climate change and renewable energy targets, even as scientific opinion grows ever more alarmed at the rate of global warming. There is a growing need for urgent and comprehensive action. The government will publish an energy policy review in mid-2005. It cannot be allowed a 'business as usual' approach or a continuation of gradual adjustments. This pamphlet will provide a close look at one area where a radical new approach can produce speedy results.

Further information 

Chris Forster and James Owen

February 2006

Download Understanding Iran: a solution to the nuclear crisis? (60 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Summary: Western diplomats seeking to arrest the emergence of a nuclear Iran must acknowledge the motivations, grievances and insecurities that shape Iranian self-perception, its view of international relations and its nuclear ambitions. To date, the conventional formula for addressing violators of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been unable to stop Iran claiming what it sees as its sovereign right. For policy to be effective, diplomatic tactics and 'soft' tools will need a psychological nuance to coax and cajole Iran out of its questionable nuclear research program. The short term focus of these efforts must be on fostering more transparency and cooperation, not fomenting revolution.

The roots of Iranian action lie partly in the legacy of Western meddling and the regional vulnerabilities of the country itself. A combination of the two, mixed with a nationalist pride characteristic of the Iranian mindset, has fashioned a siege-like mentality, a propensity for self-reliance and a psychological rationale for nuclear protection: deterrence over détente.

The successful tapping by President Ahmadinejad into popular notions of Iran's regional and international status has provided him with the leeway to confront international opinion. Projecting Iran at home as a leading power and trumpeting its nuclear programme as symbols of modernity and independence has provided the Tehran government with widespread domestic support.

Policy-makers, however, cannot simply deal with Iran by distinguishing between the Islamic regime and the Iranian people, as proposed by President Bush in his State of the Union address. The relationship is complex. Intense national pride has paralleled public dissatisfaction with the government's handling of domestic issues, leaving Iran poised between reform and reaction since the death of Khomeini. The former Supreme Leader's 'neither east nor west, only Islam' vision no longer serves the aspirations of a well-educated people who are broadly sympathetic to Western culture and values.

To effect change in Iran's posture, the powers behind Ahmadinejad need to believe that current policies are counter-productive and dangerous to their established position. This would drain away the support of influential people in government already wary of the President's brinkmanship tactics. The aim in the short term, therefore, would be to bring about either a change in policy or in leadership, not to encourage revolution.

In the end, preventing Iran from going nuclear may be impossible, but persuading it to open up its research programme will be crucial to easing international tensions. This will require a psychological awareness in dealing with Iran that has hitherto been lacking.

Further information 

Denis MacShane MP

February 2006 £9.95 + p&p, plus £1 p+p.

Download Britain's Voice in Europe (150 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Once again the European question is being asked. What is Europe for? Why are the British so doggedly Eurosceptic? Is the EU a response to 20th century problems no longer really needed in the new era of globalisation? Is there such a thing as a European identity?

The purpose of this pamphlet will be to argue that finding answers to these essentialist questions about Europe provide fascinating topics for political scientists, columnists, and speech- or article-writers for ministers but they are not the right questions. Instead the author takes it as a given that the EU is not going to disappear and that Britain will not quit the EU in any foreseeable future.

This pamphlet will seek to answer a question that our scratchy, name-calling EU debate in Britain fails to ask: how can Britain maximise its influence in Europe and what new mechanisms or policies are needed to achieve greater democratic oversight of the decisions taken in our name by the European Union.

Seema Desai

January 2006

Download the report (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

As the centre of gravity in the world's economy continues to move east, it appears increasingly anachronistic that the only Asian country represented at the G8 table is Japan, by all accounts a stagnating economic and political power in the world. The time is approaching for China to be invited to be a full member of the G8, and for the new G9 or G10 (if India is included) to focus on its central objective: to preside over and guide the world's economy.

Further information 

Andrei Piontkovsky

January 2006 £9.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download East or West? (190 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a geopolitical earthquake that redrew the map of Europe and Central Asia. In his state-of-the-nation address, in April 2005, Russia's President Vladimir Putin went so far as to describe it as the 'biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century'. His declaration caused a stir among the world's political scientists, sociologists, economists and even philosophers. Yet the full import of his words was lost on much of his foreign audience. 'For the Russian people', Putin continued, the collapse of the Soviet Union 'became a real drama'.

Further information 

Josephine Osikena

Barrow Cadbury Trust, WAITS

Download Understanding Women's Social Capital (1.24 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

2005 Global Exchange Forum Report

Philip Fiske de Gouveia

November 2005 £9.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download European Infopolitik (350 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

With this year's tenth anniversary of the Barcelona Process – the initiative by whichthe EU has tried to foster greater co-operation in the greater Mediterraneanarea – Europe and its southern neighbours have much to celebrate. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has been almost unprecedented in its ambition and, while it has not been without its problems, has contributed significantly to the development of international economic and cultural ties with the region.

Further information 

Andrew Small

November 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Preventing the Next Cold War (360 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

2005 has seen the emergence of political dynamics and shifts in thinking in both Washington and Beijing that risk tipping US-China relations over into a state of open geopolitical rivalry unless there are concerted attempts at conflict prevention.

Further information 

Douglas Alexander MP

October 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Europe in a Global Age (200 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Europe is coming of age. The European Union has focussed its energies inwards for the past fifty years – developing the Common Market and harmonising laws and practices across the continent. Now, however, it faces new challenges: a global market that is ever more crowded; competition ever more intense and innovative; pressures on society ever more divisive; and new forms of threats and dangers which are no longer contained largely within our border. To survive and prosper in the twenty-first century, Europe must now address its own problems from this global perspective.

Further information 

Greg Austin and Claude Misson

October 2005

Download Leeds Manifesto (200 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The EU has promised to double aid to Africa in the next five years to complement a new effort by the eight richest countries to promote the welfare, prosperity and security of ordinary Africans. In the last year, EU aid ministers have been offered thousands of pages of advice on how to spend this money. There is a fear that they may double the size of existing aid bureaucracies in Brussels and at home to deliver the increases. African countries will certainly face problems absorbing a doubling of aid if it is delivered through traditional aid mechanisms. This short manifesto is a plea to EU Aid Ministers to take a strategic approach to spending the new money in ways that actually enable more individual Africans to take the lead in transforming their own economic and social systems.

Dr. Greg Austin

October 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Next Attack (330 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The UK is not doing enough to defeat Al Qaeda and other jihadist terrorists who threaten the country and its citizens with mass murder. The UK is not alone in the dock, but it is in the dock. Osama bin Laden remains at large and Saudi Arabia remains an important point of origin for the export of terrorism, especially extremist sentiment and money. Saudi money is also feeding the insurgency and terrorism in Iraq. Not enough new money is going to MI6. Notwithstanding the attention paid to young male British Muslims after the attacks of 7 July, the bigger threat probably remains foreign members or followers of Al Qaeda.

Further information 

Sarah Schaefer, Dr Greg Austin, Kate Parker

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Turks in Europe (260 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

There is a new political contest about the relationship between the European Union and its 'national' components, and how they all should deal with 'outsiders'. The prospect of Turkey's entry to the European Union has triggered a remarkable outburst of fear and anxiety in some member states. Voters know that issues of national identity, the economy, social welfare and future migration are all tied up in some rather momentous way with Turkey's projected accession, but cannot see too clearly how. This pamphlet tries to bring the argument back down to the individual level.

Further information 

David Clark, Neil Kinnock, Michael Leahy, Ken Livingstone, John Monks, Stephen Twigg

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download the report (110 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

At this decisive moment in the development of both the European Uion and the democratic left, European politics must not be allowed to become a competitive struggle between different national approaches. This pamphlet argues that a social model of the future must reflect a synthesis of what is best in each whilst still facilitating advances which accord with national preferences and conditions. In this process, Britain has much to offer, but it also still has much to learn.

Further information 

Stephen Twigg, Dr Greg Austin, Dan Plesch, Fiona Grant

Download the report (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The UK Government has made the case for a rapid shift to renewable energy from a number of perspectives: national security, economic prosperity and protection of the global environment. Yet its targets in this area are among the lowest in Europe.

The UK clearly needs to change the way it thinks about its energy future. This pamphlet firstly sets the global scene by highlighting new global risks involved in continuing a 'business as usual' approach. It then looks more closely at how we on the 'home front' must respond to new security risks associated with energy policy.

John Bercow MP and Victoria Roberts

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download Promote Freedom or Protect Oppressors (160 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The UN Charter commits its signatories to promoting basic principles of human rights and to saving people from the scourge of war. At a time of unprecedented examination of how to improve the working of the UN, this pamphlet reminds us of the virtue of returning to basics. We can evaluate any reform proposal against a simple criterion: Does it promote freedom or does it protect oppressors? With the UN failures in Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur as evidence of systemic weakness in the UN system, John Bercow and Victoria Roberts make a compelling case for qualitatively new approaches. The authors stress that if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we will have to do better to meet the challenges posed by fragile states.  The Millennium Review Summit presents a real opportunity for reform of the UN. The authors recommend what amounts to a new 'security council' for people: a Human Rights Council. They support the proposal for the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission and advocate a ban on the use of the veto in cases of genocide.

Dr Mark Imber

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download Un Security Council Reform (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Following the Iraq war of 2003 Kofi Annan identified a stark choice for the UN: effectiveness or irrelevance. Dr Imber argues that the High Level Panel Report of 2004 and the follow-up In Larger Freedom provide useful reference points for the future of the UN: an expanded view of human security, expansion of Security Council membership, and recognition of US priorities on terrorism and self-defence. However, Dr Imber also identifies obstacles to reform, including confusion over the understanding of 'UN reform' itself, the lack of resilience of the UN Charter, the expansion of 'competing' multilateral organisations (such as the G8 or the European Union), and diverse reform agendas.

Further information 

Shairi Mathur

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download Voting for the Veto (170 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The case for India's permanent seat in the Security Council is as compelling as it is simple. India is the world's largest democracy, soon to be the world's most populous country, and home to over 15 per cent of the world's population; it possesses nuclear weapons and strategic missiles; it has at various times taken a global leadership role, not least in its co-founding of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1955; and as an early champion of the concept of 'peaceful co-existence' between the communist bloc and the free world, India has been a leading advocate of 'peaceful' foreign policies and non-aggression. In 2005, the World Bank ranked India as having the fourth biggest GDP in the world (in terms of purchasing power parity), and tenth biggest (in terms of the conventional GDP measure). India has taken part in more than 30 UN peacekeeping operations. By any sensible measure of 'equity', the reform of the Security Council in 2005 should result in India's elevation to the Security Council with the same powers as China and the USA.

Further information 

Jennifer Moll

August 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Blueprint for Russia (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This FPC publication explores political change in Russia. It is now available for purchase and will be launched at the FPC's Fringe Event at the Labour Party Conference.

Utilising each author's expertise, this pamphlet compiles a broad range of opinions to outline a Blueprint for Russia. The contributions focus on political change in Russia as it relates to the three key policy areas of law, the economy and political pluralism.

Further information 

Raffaella Murano

July 2005

Download Political Abuse of Judicial Process in Europe's East (110 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This policy brief outlines some of the negative trends in rule of law compliance in the CIS, examining Russia, Ukraine and giving special consideration to the Republic of Moldova and the case of former Defence Minister, Valeriu Pasat. These negative trends represent a new pattern, whereby leaders are abusing newly constructed judicial systems to achieve extra-judicial, political goals.

CIS leaders must act now to regain the trust of their citizens by making sweeping changes, both physically and functionally to judicial systems. Other European countries and their multilateral institutions (EU, CoE and OSCE) need to acknowledge the emerging negative trend of judicial abuse and deliver both political incentives and assistance programmes more likely to have strategic effects on the practices of CIS judicial systems.

Dick Leonard

June 30, 2005

Download Counter-terrorism and human rights - is the EU on course? (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The EU responded with commendable – if unusual – alacrity to the worldwide terrorist threat unleashed on 11 September 2001.

Now, nearly four years later, Amnesty International has produced a disturbing report questioning how far this objective has been met.

Dick Leonard examines the EU's approach to counter-terrorism in an article published in The European Voice.

Dr Greg Austin

9 June 2005

Download Reform in Europe after the 2005 Referendums (140 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Dr Greg Austin, FPC Director of Research, has called on EU leaders to champion an interpretation of the French and Dutch referendums that recognises the results for what they are and calling for a review of the referendum process.

The two referendums were not a definitive vote by a majority of the electorate on the idea of the Constitution. The results were more likely a repudiation of existing elite-driven processes of EU reform.

Suspending the ratification process for a couple of years may be the minimum amount of time required for future success.

Grace Annan

Download European Parliament Policy Brief (60 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This Policy Brief reviews a recent plea from the European Parliament for a stronger voice in the constitutional arrangements for EU foreign and security policy. In the wake of the referendum results in France and the Netherlands, there is a new recognition that European leaders must address the democratic deficit in EU decision-making. Whether or not the Parliament succeeds in these bids will depend on its ability to speak with one voice and to actively make this voice heard in national capitals in the coming one to two years.

Laura Rayner

June 2005

Download The EU Foreign Ministry and Union Embassies (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In this incisive new FPC pamphlet Laura Rayner, an information specialist in public policy from the Australian Parliamentary Library, examines the key issues associated with the creation of a new European External Action Service.

With the French and Dutch referenda on the draft Constitutional Treaty each producing a resounding 'No', the proposal in the draft to set up a new European External Action Service (EEAS), or Foreign Ministry of Europe, may appear to some observers to be pretty much dead in the water. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the politics of European integration are going to get much hotter in the coming two years than at any time since 1993, the problems that caused the European Council to support the creation of new EEAS will not go away simply because the draft Constitutional Treaty is under threat. They were there before the talk of a Constitution emerged as strongly as it did three or four years ago, and they will be every bit as important in spite of the problems with ratification of the draft treaty.

Further information 

Oleg Panfilov

2 June 2005

Download the report (160 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The re-emergence of the traditions of Soviet propaganda since 2000 represents a new era for the Russian media and domestic policy. This development has been facilitated by the dominance of Soviet-era journalists: up to 70 per cent of those currently working in the mass media in Russia were Soviet educated or employed by the Soviet media, where propaganda and counter-propaganda were considered an important part of state ideology.

Further information 

Global Europe

Richard Youngs, (ed)

British Council Brussels

31 May 2005

Download Global Europe 2: New Terms of Engagement (210 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Short-term objectives like persuading Iran to give up its nuclear programme are distracting the EU from developing a coherent strategy of engagement with its new neighbours, according to the latest Global Europe report published by the Foreign Policy Centre and British Council Brussels.

Global Europe Report 02: New Terms of Engagement, by Richard Youngs (ed.) argues that, post-enlargement, the old model of EU engagement with the near abroad through the promise of accession is no longer viable. Although this is 'without a doubt the most successful policy instrument the EU has', Europe must develop a new strategy to promote democratic reform in countries ranging from Belarus and Moldova to Morocco and the Palestinian Authority – or risk overstretch.

Further information 

Philip Fiske de Gouveia

31 May 2005

Download the report (150 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

A new momentum is building behind development efforts in Africa. The work of the UK Commission for Africa, for example, appears to be symptomatic of a renewed global interest in the world's poorest continent. Historically, the media has played a fundamental role in democratisation and economic growth across the world, yet its significance is routinely downplayed by development strategists.

In 'An African Al-Jazeera? Mass Media and the African Renaissance', Philip Fiske de Gouveia examines how the media can facilitate much needed change across the African continent, and outlines a number of UK-specific policy recommendations. The report addresses a variety of key questions including: What role can and should the media play as part of political and economic advances in Africa? Can and should Africa shrug off its perceived information dependence on the West? Should the creation of an indigenous pan-African broadcaster be a development priority?

Further information 

Global Europe

Malcolm Chalmers, Michael von der Schulenburg, Julian Braithwaite

April 2005

Download the report (280 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Rescuing the State: Europe's Next Challenge is the latest in the Global Europe series of reports from British Council Brussels and the Foreign Policy Centre, and sets forward strategies for improving the effectiveness of European state-building operations.

The turning of fragile amd failed states into strong and stable ones is perhaps the most difficult security challenge of our time. The essays make the case that Europe must take the lead in improving the effectiveness of post-conflict reconstruction, to maximise its international influence and carve out a distinctive world role.

Further information 

Yongjin Zhang

April 2005

Download China Goes Global (310 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In China Goes Global, Yongjin Zhang looks at how engagement with globalisation is changing the Chinese state – and how China in turn is affecting the global economy. He argues that China's astronomical growth figures have obscured its transformative effects.

Accession to the WTO has led to a massive increase in trade – but also to a growing commitment to free trade and the global economic system

Chinese companies are 'going global', acquiring energy assets, listing in international stock markets and becoming serious global investors

As 'the world's factory', China is now shaping the changing dynamics of global supply and demand; and leading the wider shift towards a truly globalised economy.

Further information 

Angie Austin

April 2005

Download Energy and Power in China (310 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The USA, EU and Britain have all recognised that domestic regulation of China's growing energy use and power industries constitute a 'global good', but the EU and Britain only recently instituted bilateral programs for promoting more efficient energy use by China through support of better domestic regularoty regimes.

This pamphlet urges the EU and Britain to urgently adjust their priorities for development cooperation with China in order to devote significantly more resources to the promotion of more effective regulation in China's energy sector.

Further information 

Dr Greg Austin

April 2005

Download China Arms Ban (260 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The European decision to lift the 1989 arms embargo targeted exclusively against China has encountered strong resistance from the US, particularly the Congress, and other allies including Japan. This new report from the Foreign Policy Centre argues that the dispute is damaging and unnecessary, and the result of a failure in European public diplomacy rather than a serious transatlantic policy disagreement. The lifting of the embargo will not change the military balance in East Asia nor affect the Chinese calculus of risk over the use of force against Taiwan; it is also ineffective as a mechanism to compel China's leadership to improve its domestic human rights policies.

As a result, the move has emerged as a test of Europe's new security policy, and of its ability to communicate decisions to key allies and stakeholders. European leaders must take their case to US Congress leaders through a vigorous public diplomacy campaign, to convince them that the EU will continue to restrict arms to China effectively even after the 1989 ban is lifted.

Further information 

Andrei Kunov, Mikhail Myagkov, Alexei Sitnikov and Dmitry Shakin

April 2005

Download the report (240 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The 2003 Duma elections saw an overwhelming victory for President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and drastic defeat for other political parties. Opposition calls for a recount went nowhere and many puzzles about voting trends in Russia went unanswered. This pamphlet presents the results of ground-breaking research from the Open Economy Institute in Moscow, using a new statistial method for understanding the flow of votes and electorate support between political parties. The authors find that the Russian electorate was far less predictable in the last cycle than in the first decade of modern Russian democracy; and argue that the prospects for an effective multi-party system are now bleak.

Further information 

Sir Digby Jones (with preface by Dr Denis MacShane MP)

4 April 2005

Download the publication (190 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Half of all UK legislation which imposes burdens on businesses originates from the European Union. Yet, given the depth of involvement of the EU in the UK's regulatory regime, the British public are surprisingly ignorant about the EU, its policies and institutions - and many MPs do not follow events across the Channel. In this pamphlet, Sir Digby Jones, director-general of the CBI, sets out a number of proposals for improving scrutiny of EU legislation in the UK parliament.

Richard Gowan and Laura Citron

Download Spanish translation of the European Civic Inclusion Index (360 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The European Civic Citizenship and Inclusion Index has been conceived to fill a knowledge gap on civic citizenship policies and inclusion at a European level.

The Spanish translation of the European Civic Inclusion Index was launched on 9 June 2005.

Richard Gowan and Laura Citron

Download the report (1.05 megabyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The need for immigrant inclusion in Europe is unavoidable. 13 million EU residents in the fifteen old member states (3.4% of the population) are non naturalized immigrants. Globalization, labour market and demograhic pressures make inward migration a fact of life for the EU member states. If Europe is to meet its Lisbon targets on employment and jobs, maintain cohesive healthy societies and live up to its founding values of equality and openness then it must take a close look at its policies governing inclusion and civic citizenship.

Further information 

Mark Leonard and Andrew Small with Martin Rose

February 2005

Download the report (360 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The war in Iraq has had a seismic impact on international perceptions of Britain and British foreign policy, yet there is a big contrast between the cacophony of debate in the United States on the political and diplomatic fall-out of Iraq for US grand strategy, and the relative lack of public and political debate about how UK public diplomacy needs to change to reflect these new realities.

Further information 

Dr Greg Austin

February 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download the report (280 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The United Nations does not just need reform, it is in need of a 'Reformation'. The composition of the Security Council is just one structural question among many other deeper issues. The scope of change needed can only be understood with reference to the massive changes in international power relationships of the past sixty years.

Further information 

Jennifer Moll, Richard Gowan

March 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download the report (260 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Europe has long desired a Russia that is both stable and governed by a democratic rule of law. It is for this reason that human rights remain a cornerstone of European policy toward Russia, especially in the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Russia's membership in these organisations not only confirms it as a full partner of Europe, but also as a state which shares its values.

The benchmarks for protection of human rights established by the Council of Europe and the OSCE stand in marked contrast to the current situation in Russia, where the vertical of power of the government increasingly leaves less room for the individual in favour of a more powerful central state - what President Putin calls a 'dictatorship of the law'.

Further information 

Sir Brian Crowe (with preface by Javier Solana)

Download the report (220 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The creation of an EU Foreign Minister is one of the most innovative proposals of Europe's proposed new constitution; yet there is still very little understanding of what the position woiuld entail and what challenges the new minister would face.

In this paper, Sir Brian Crowe, former Director General for External and for Politico-Military Affairs in the EU Council of Ministers, argues that empowering a new EU Foreign Minister is crucial for putting flesh on the bones of the Common Foreign and security Policy (CFSP). Fundamental changes are needed if the EU is to develop the capability for coordinated, effective, and rapid reaction.

Further information 

Correlli Barnett

Download the report (200 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Correlli Barnett, the distinguished military historian, contrasts the success of the Allied military government in Germany in 1945-6 with the relative failure of the Coalition in Iraq in 2003-4.

Further information 

An Interpretative Report by Rouzbeh Pirouz and Zoe Nautre

Download the report (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In October 2004, the Civility Programme at the Foreign Policy Centre held a three day retreat at Ditchley Park to elucidate the views of selected Iraqi civil society representatives on the re-establishment of security, the rule of law and institutional reform.

Further information 

Prasenjit K. Basu, Brahma Chellaney, Parag Khanna and Sunil Khilani

Download the report (440 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In 30 years India's economy could be larger than all but those of the US and China. In this collection of essays, with a preface by the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Kamalesh Sharma, four leading thinkers on India explore how it can carve out a world role that best serves its goals and interests.

Further information 

Preface by Andrew Jack, Analysis by Konstantin Sonin, Interview with Andrei Illarionov

January 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download the report (230 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

After giving a controversial interview on Ekho Moskvy Radio on 30 December 2004, Andrei Illarionov, a former economic advisor to President Putin, stepped down from his post. He had previously issued public criticisms of Putin's reforms.

The interview with Illarionov is reproduced in this pamphlet, with a preface by Andrew Jack, recently returned Moscow correspondent for The Financial Times, and analysis by Konstantin Sonin.

Further information 

Espen Barth Eide (ed.)

December 2004

Download the report (310 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

In the wake of the report of the UN High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, the contributors call on European leaders to promote regional solutions to international security threats such as terrorism, genocide or proliferation. They should also set up "a NATO for Africa" to work with the African Union on crises such as Darfur without the charge of colonialism.

This pamphlet is part of the Global Europe project launched by the Foreign Policy Centre and British Council Brussels, and supported by the European Commission.

The collection of essays is edited by Espen Barth Eide of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) argues that Europe's regional leadership is key to strengthening global security.

Further information 

Richard Youngs

December 2004

Download the report (190 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Despite a common interest in promoting democracy in the Middle East, the US and EU have so far failed to create a coherent partnership in the region. In this pamphlet, Dr. Richard Youngs maps out a strategy for improving transatlantic cooperation on this vital issue.

Rouzbeh Pirouz

December 2004

Download the report (130 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This Policy Brief for Iraq outlines recommendations for improving security and building a secure democracy, as agreed by high-level delegates at the FPC's retreat on Iraq in October 2004. Participants, who included Iraqi lawyers, journalists, heads of NGOs and women's groups and two ministers of the Interim government, identified ending ethnically divisive policies and encouraging EU involvement as urgent priorities.

Phoebe Griffith (Ed.), Jack Thurston (Ed.)

November 2004

Download the report (860 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Free trade has the potential to change lives in both developed and developing countries and lies at the heart of the globalisation debate. Yet it continues to be one of the most politically charged issues of the 21st century, while an international consensus remains elusive.

Further information 

Richard Youngs

November 2004

Download the report (210 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Despite the promise of a new common strategy on Iraqi reconstruction in the summer of 2004, a concrete European action plan remains conspicuously absent. In this pamphlet, published during the assault on Fallujah, Richard Youngs argues that the time is right to build on the European agreement and identifies specific areas where EU assistance would be particularly valuable. They include training police and security forces and cooperating with local Iraqi groups to mediate with and disarm insurgents, and build democratic institutions at the sub-national level.

Dr Greg Austin

November 2004

Download the report (250 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Written by FPC Research Director, Dr Greg Austin, with a foreword by Robin Cook MP, this pamphlet argues that a worrying shift towards authoritarianism has occurred in Russia in recent years. Britain and the EU must use their leverage to reverse the attacks made on hard-won democratic freedoms and renew the democratic dialogue with Russia.

• To View a full list of Dr Austin's publications click here

Malcolm Cook

November 2004

Download the report (100 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

South-East Asian expert Dr Malcolm Cook argues that Indonesia is at a turning point of democratisation. In this policy brief he makes the case that new president Susilo Yudhoyono must receive the full backing of the international community, including the UK and EU, to implement vital reforms and secure Indonesia's status as a model for Islamic democracy.

Amitai Etzioni

October 2004

Download the report (290 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Leading communitarian author, Amitai Etzioni, argues for a shift in international counter-terrorism resources toward more focus on preventing attacks with nuclear weapons. The best way to do this, he argues, is to limit greatly the damage that terrorists will cause by curbing their access to nuclear arms and related materials.

Fiona Hill

September 2004

Download the report (380 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

On the back of windfall revenues from oil and gas exports, Russia has transformed itself from a defunct military superpower into a new energy superpower. Instead of the Red Army, the penetrating forces of Moscow's power in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Central Asia are now its exports of natural g