Chatham House, also known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading organizations in this area and is the originator of the world-famous Chatham House Rule. It takes its name from its premises, a Grade I listed 18th-century house in St. James's Square designed in part by Henry Flitcroft and occupied by three British prime ministers, including William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.
Chatham House was ranked as the #2 think tank in the world and #1 non-US think tank by the University of Pennsylvania’s 2011 Global Go To Think Tanks Ranking. Chatham House was also named the top non-US think tank by Foreign Policy magazine, which listed it as one of the top "scholars" for being among a handful of stars of the think-tank world who are regularly relied upon to set agendas and craft new initiatives.
As of 2012, the current chairman of the Council of Chatham House is Stuart Popham and its director is Robin Niblett. The research directors are Bernice Lee, Patricia Lewis, Paola Subacchi and Alex Vines.
Chatham House has distinguished presidents from each of the three main political parties at Westminster: Sir John Major, former UK Prime Minister, Lord Ashdown, former EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, and Baroness Scotland, the former Attorney General.
Read more about Chatham House: Role, Chatham House Rule, Research and Publications, History, Chatham House Prize
Famous quotes containing the words chatham and/or house:
“If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms—never—never—never!”
—William Pitt, The Elder, Lord Chatham (1708–1778)
“The night in prison was novel and interesting enough.... I found that even here there was a history and a gossip which never circulated beyond the walls of the jail. Probably this is the only house in the town where verses are composed, which are afterward printed in a circular form, but not published. I was shown quite a long list of verses which were composed by some young men who had been detected in an attempt to escape, who avenged themselves by singing them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)