Jeremy Craig Oliphant
British diplomat, foreign policy expert and trustee of The John Smith Trust with ties to UK intelligence-linked networks
| Jeremy Craig Oliphant | |
| Born | April 1956 |
|---|---|
| Died | |
| Nationality | British |
| Residence | |
| Occupation | Diplomat, foreign policy adviser |
| Known for | Head of Eastern Research Group at FCO; trustee of John Smith Trust; member of Integrity Initiative UK Inner Core |
| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | |
| Sibling(s) | |
| Website | |
Jeremy Craig Oliphant OBE (commonly known as Craig Oliphant) is a British former diplomat and foreign policy expert who served as Head of the Eastern Research Group at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) until 2010. He is currently Senior Adviser at the Foreign Policy Centre in London and a trustee/board member of the John Smith Trust.[1][2]
Oliphant has extensive experience in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, including postings at NATO and as Senior Adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (1996–1999).[1]
Career
Oliphant joined the British diplomatic service and specialised in post-Soviet affairs. He rose to become Head of the Eastern Research Group in the FCO, responsible for analysis on Russia and Eastern Europe. He left the FCO in 2010 and transitioned to the non-governmental sector, working as a policy adviser at NGOs including Saferworld and Peaceful Change Initiative (PCi). He was awarded an OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours.[1]
He is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Chatham House and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[3]
Work for Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
In the 1980s Oliphant worked for several years at Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Munich. RFE/RL, funded by the US Congress and widely regarded as a key Cold War-era propaganda and information outlet aimed at the Soviet bloc and Eastern Europe, employed him during a period when the organisation was actively broadcasting anti-Soviet content and supporting dissident voices. This early experience in US-funded media operations preceded his later roles at the Soviet Studies Research Centre at Sandhurst and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Role in the John Smith Trust
Since 17 March 2020 Oliphant has been a trustee and board member of the John Smith Trust, a UK charity that runs leadership fellowship programmes for emerging figures from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. He remains actively involved, including recent visits with Fellows in Azerbaijan in 2025 alongside programme staff.[2][4]
The Trust is funded in part by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and focuses on governance, rule of law and democratic values – activities aligned with UK soft-power objectives in post-Soviet states.
Relations with Chris Donnelly and intelligence-linked networks
Oliphant was a listed member of the UK Inner Core of the Integrity Initiative, a project run by the Institute for Statecraft founded and directed by Chris Donnelly.[5] Both men worked at the Soviet Studies Research Centre (SSRC) at Sandhurst in the 1980s, where Donnelly founded and led the unit and Oliphant served as a researcher. Donnelly, a former Territorial Army Intelligence Corps officer and long-serving NATO adviser, established the Integrity Initiative to counter Russian disinformation and influence. Their overlapping involvement places Oliphant within a network of UK foreign policy and security figures engaged in information operations and soft-power initiatives targeting the former Soviet space.
See also
John Smith Trust Chris Donnelly Institute for Statecraft Integrity Initiative Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Foreign Policy Centre, Craig Oliphant OBE FPC, accessed 4 April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Smith Trust, Craig Oliphant John Smith Trust, accessed 4 April 2026.
- ↑ ICRA, Craig Oliphant OBE ICRA, accessed 4 April 2026.
- ↑ John Smith Trust Instagram, Post on Azerbaijan visit Instagram, September 2025.
- ↑ Wikispooks, Craig Oliphant Wikispooks, accessed 4 April 2026.