Royal United Services Institute

The Pall Mall Process, aimed at curbing the misuse of commercial cyber intrusion capabilities, is holding its second meeting in Paris. In our latest RUSI Commentary, a number of experts assess the effectiveness and expectations concerning the process.

🚨New RUSI report, 'Taiwan’s Evolving Response to China’s Grey Zone Actions' by Dr Philip Shetler-Jones is out now. Can grey zone actions, conducted below the threshold of war, be considered warfare? How can they be effectively deterred without triggering escalation or being labeled as provocative? China’s ‘campaign against Taiwan’ presents a compelling case study for understanding the grey zone phenomenon. Our new report explores the emergence and defining features of the ‘grey zone’ concept, then looks at China’s actions and Taiwan’s responses, and offers some recommendations. Some of the recommendations to counter grey zone tactics include Taiwan's need to proactively analyse threats, build international partnerships, and leverage technology for attribution, while simultaneously enhancing its societal resilience and strategically reframing China's actions. An understanding of Taiwan’s evolving response to the grey zone is instructive for policymakers experiencing similar challenges. Head over to our website to learn more!

'If neglected, this Middle Corridor could see the route fall victim to the same geopolitics that Europe seeks to avoid, allowing China, Russia and other regional actors to fill the void and impede, not facilitate, European supply chains in the future' write Arzu Abbasova and Olivia Allison in the latest RUSI Commentary.

Warship modularisation can be a viable approach, but successful adoption involves significant trade-offs and requires time and investment to get right, writes Andrew Livsey in the latest RUSI Defence Systems article.

🎙How could frozen Russian assets be used and what are the legal and geopolitical implications? Tune in to the latest episode of the Suspicious Transaction Report podcast where Head of CFS Europe, Kinga Redlowska, is joined by Anton M., CFS Associate Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Law at The Australian National University, along with Tom Keatinge, Director of CFS, to discuss the future of frozen Russian assets, examining their potential uses and the legal, political and economic consequences for EU sanctions policy and international law: https://bit.ly/42mO8ys

'Japan is the only Indo-Pacific nation with both the will and capacity to act as a bridge between Europe and the US. To support Ukraine effectively, Europe should adopt a global strategic perspective that includes Japan' writes Keizo Kitagawa.

The Paris AI Summit pivoted to boosterism instead of reckoning with the gravity of a future containing artificial general intelligence, but the risks and uncertainty remain, argues Dr Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh in the latest RUSI Commentary.

🚨Following visits by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and a delegation of UK mayors to China in recent weeks, our new report by Andrew Cainey, identifies the opportunities and the risks that engagement with China presents to local authorities in the UK. 'Subnational Diplomacy Between the UK and China' - which draws on interviews with 21 local authorities and related bodies across the UK - notes that a more joined-up approach between local and central levels of UK government on engaging with China is needed. It recommends central government, which is in the process of producing a China Audit, provides improved guidance and support to local authorities on managing involvement. The report adds that local authorities need to develop their own strategies and structures for engaging with China, based on best practices and lessons learned. For the full story, visit our website and read the report.

📅The terms of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, or the consequences of failed negotiations, will have profound implications for energy security. Join us on 10 April as we discuss the impact that the next phase of the war will have on UK and European energy security.

📺In the latest RUSI Reflects, Dr Jack Watling provides his assessment of European security three years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and reflects on what can be realistically achieved with European airpower, given Russia's current threat trajectory. The full video is available on our website: https://bit.ly/3DS79Q2