In Central Asia, citizens have not simply lost faith in institutions. They have stopped expecting institutions to deserve it. Citizens are curious about reform, transparency, opportunity, participation, and modernisation.…
Young people are often described as the ‘future’, yet they are already shaping political life in the present. We are two young leaders from very different contexts: the UK and…
Civil society is how citizens can hold power to account. But what happens when organisations that exist to defend democratic life are no longer trusted to do so? In…
Mini-series by the Foreign Policy Centre and the John Smith Trust (JST)
How Russian influence and hybrid interference shaped Moldova’s pivotal 2025 parliamentary election.
A four-part briefing series from the FPC and SEPAD project.
Civil society is how citizens can hold power to account. But what happens when organisations that exist to defend democratic life are no longer trusted to do so? In…
In Central Asia, citizens have not simply lost faith in institutions. They have stopped expecting institutions to deserve it. Citizens are curious about reform, transparency, opportunity, participation, and modernisation.…
Young people are often described as the ‘future’, yet they are already shaping political life in the present. We are two young leaders from very different contexts: the UK and…
When I first became a JST Fellow in 2018 I had a very clear answer to the question: does change come from the topdown or the bottom-up? For years, working…
Armenia must decide on its nuclear technology path. The upper-middle-income state in the South Caucasus depends on nuclear energy for upwards of 30% of its energy mix; building a new…
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There was a time when war took my voice away. When reality becomes unbearable, reflection is reduced into mere observation. Silence ceases to be calm – it turns into the…
This article introduces a new series of short essays by JST Fellows – leaders working across Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia – exploring how societies can build the…
On 15th June 2026, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), the Global Disorder Group at City St. George’s, University of London (City), Shout Out UK (SOUK), and the All-Party Parliamentary Group…
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Alex Sobel and Luke Cooper were recently in Gdańsk, Poland, for the Ukraine Recovery Conference where there is a clear and perceptible shift in tone and actions, mirroring our own…
The contextual and data-driven analyses tell a clear story: Moldova’s 2025 parliamentary election was not merely a consequential national democratic contest but a stress test for Europe’s wider resilience to…
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On 19 and 20 May Astana held a symposium on the Golden Horde, a descendant state of the Mongol Empire.[1] This was not, however, an event limited to academics discussing…
The upcoming Armenian elections are often framed as a choice between Russia and the West. In reality, the outcome will shape the country's evolving relationship with Russia, the West, and…
The local elections have shown how politically fragmented the UK has become in recent years. Both Labour and the Conservatives – the traditional parties of Government – have lost out.…
Securitisation of foreign (and domestic) policy is leading to a prioritisation of hard power approaches over civilian-led, soft power approaches, leaving many wondering about the future. As Europe rearms in…
Since President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term, a protest movement called ‘No Kings’ has been gaining steam in the United States. Millions of people are estimated to…