UK-Middle-East-Mohammed-Nasser

Britain and the Middle East: Influence, Constraints, and Strategic Recalibration in a Changing Region

Britain’s relationship with the Middle East has been one of the most enduring yet strangely unsettled parts of its foreign policy since the end of the Second World War, and maybe even before that if one looks at the shadows of empire that lingered too long. From the slow dismantling of its imperial presence to …

BIGA-Navy-Brexit

Balancing Act: What Post-Brexit Britain Can Learn From the Past

Author’s Note: This piece was written as part of BIGA’s new partnership with EPIS, a student-led think tank in Europe who support discussion and debate from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Be sure to check out their work! During a spring day in Washington D.C., in April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. …

Alastair-BIGA-UK-Foreign-Policy

The Road Ahead

As he began his speech, Prime Minister Starmer set out the dangers of a more threatening Russia with a stronger industrial base and the ability to employ malicious tactics below the threshold of war. Then there was a pause. Starmer had a small, wry smile as he said: “To break the convention of a thousand …

John-McCabe-Grey-Zone

Contesting the Grey Zone

It is with a heavy heart that the United Kingdom must now reckon with sustained confrontation from modern revisionist powers—some far larger than itself, some far more underhanded. The ‘grey zone’ of warfare has been stretched in scope and in potential for tenacity; tensions rise unreconciled by any commensurate appetite for escalation, while technological advance …

CANZUK-BIGA-Dai-Johnson

The Commonwealth of CANZUK: The Case for the UK

Photo: Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street The United Kingdom finds itself torn between its closest allies. Whether it’s an increasingly subsidiary and powerless role compared to the United States or the difficult political relationship with the European Union, the ability to exert influence in the diplomatic sphere is strained. If future American administrations perceive any …

Britt-AI-Sexism

Encoding Inequality: Why Global AI Governance Must Confront Sexism

Author’s Note: This article focuses primarily on sexism and the disproportionate consequences of AI for women, it goes without saying that these technologies also affect other marginalised communities disproportionately. Applying a gendered lens to Global AI Governance, naturally also requires recognising and acting on this fact.  ‘The brave new world we are hurtling towards reflects …

KFOR-Confrontation-Alastair-Nicol

Confrontation and Conflict in the Western Balkans

Today, the Western Balkans seems like a region at peace. Tourists flock to the Croatian coast while more adventurous types travel further inland to the mountains, monasteries, and rakia-filled towns of Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia. Left out of that list is the unresolved reminder of NATO’s final 20th century intervention: Kosovo-Serbia. Much of the news …

John-McCabe-Trilateral

Brussels Sprouts, Bilateral Shoots

Editor’s Note: This piece is brought to you by John McCabe, a Master’s graduate from St Andrews with a background in International Relations. Be sure to follow his work here. The shifting tides of 2025 herald fresh, rejuvenating efforts in alliance-building for, and between, the traditional European powers. The catalysts are many, but this year’s …

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Britain’s Pivotal Role in Kosovo’s State-Building

Editor’s Note: This piece is brought to you by Vesa Shatri, a former intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Kosovo as well as a former intern with the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies. “To those who say NATO is striking at a sovereign nation without justification, I say it is Milosevic who scrapped …