01 Apr BFPG’s March 2025 Review
March 2025 has proven to be another difficult month for the UK and its allies. The ripple effects of President Trump’s assertive break from the multilateral world order continue to reverberate across the international stage, while his controversial approach to ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to send alarm bells across Europe. The UK has found itself desperately trying to walk an increasingly difficult tightrope – helping to leading Europe’s response to Ukraine, while trying its best to placate Trump, and, crucially, to dodge being on the receiving end of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, which have left the world on the brink of a trade war.
The months ahead promise continued turbulence, with the global order remaining in a delicate state of flux. The British Foreign Policy Group will be here to provide expert analysis and insights as we navigate these increasingly uncertain waters.
Events at BFPG
Throughout March, BFPG convened a wide range of stakeholders, coming together to discuss a variety of important themes. We started the month convening a roundtable, conducted in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, on the soft power of science, with experts from across the science, foreign policy and soft power spheres gathering to share important insights on how science can be utilised for the UK’s strategic goals. This was the first of a series of events BFPG will be running on the role of science and soft power, so stay tuned for more on this in the coming weeks.
We then co-hosted, along with our sister organisation British Expertise International, an in-person panel, “What Next for International Development”. Bringing together leaders from across the international development sector, the event reflected on the decision to cut to international development in both the United States and the UK, and explored what the implications for international development, and the UK’s role in the world may be.
BFPG was also honoured to host a panel event, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, and the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London, focused on the victims and missing persons from the Croatian Homeland War. We were delighted to be joined by Mr Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, for the event, alongside a distinguished panel.
Diplomatic Hour
In March, BFPG was delighted to host his Excellency, the Ambassador of Vietnam for a private roundtable, in the latest event in our Diplomatic Hour. The Ambassador met with key stakeholders from across the foreign policy community to explore the future of Vietnam’s foreign policy and how the UK and Vietnam can best navigate today’s geopolitical tensions. We thank the Ambassador for his time and all attendees for joining us.
We are currently finalising our Diplomatic Hour programme for 2025. If you work for an Embassy and would like to be involved, please email hello@bfpg.co.uk.
Why a Multilateral Defence and Security Bank?
In light of the urgent need for the UK to scale up its defensive capabilities, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently announced his support for a multilateral defence and security bank. In this co-authored piece, BFPG Senior Advisor, Dr David Landsman, and Senior Research Fellow, Dr Rebecca Harding, explore what such a body could look like and the security, economic, and soft power benefits of UK leadership within a potential new multilateral defence and security bank. READ HERE.
Keep in Touch
As well as Twitter (X) and LinkedIn, BFPG is now on Bluesky. If you were forwarded this email you can sign up to our mailing list here. If you have any queries or want to know more about BFPG, you can email us at hello@bfpg.co.uk.
