About this blog
Welcome to my blog - I'm Charles Reed and I advise the Church of England on foreign policy issues.
This blog covers a variety of topics from US foreign policy to European politics and the Middle East - and whatever else happens to be in the news or catch my attention.
This is a conversational blog so please join in as your comments are an essential part of making the whole thing work.
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Monthly Archives: March 2012
Where have all the Arabs gone?
Where have all the Arabs gone? This question could well be answered over the next few days when the Syrian National Council and other opposition groups meet in Istanbul and when the Arab League meets in Baghdad. Political and media … Continue reading
Posted in Middle East
Tagged Arab Awakening, Arab League, Arab Spring, Arab Winter, Hamas, Iran, Islam, Muslim Brotherhood, PLO, President Assad, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Syrian National Council
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World Water Day – Water and Sanitation for All
Ahead of World Water Day this Thursday, the Rt Revd Peter Price, the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells, secured time in the House Lords last night for a short debate on the steps that are needed to enhance access … Continue reading
Posted in Development
Tagged Bishop of Bath and Wells, DfID, House of Lords, Rt Revd Peter Price, Sanitation, Water, Water Aid, World Water Day
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Staying the Distance in Afghanistan
Which ever way you look at it it’s been a perilously bad few months for NATO operations in Afghanistan. The Quran burning incident allied to video footage of US soldiers urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters followed by … Continue reading
Posted in Afghanistan
Tagged Afghanistan, David Cameron, ISAF, NATO, President Karzai, President Obama, Taliban
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Unite for Syria: Stop One Year Of Bloodshed
Today 100s of NGOs and 1,000s of campaigners are coming together across the globe to call on the international community to UNITE FOR SYRIA and STOP ONE YEAR OF BLOODSHED. I’m chuffed to bits that the Church of England is … Continue reading
Posted in Middle East
Tagged Crimes Against Humanity, Crisis Action, Middle East, President Assad, Syria, UNSC
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Revoking Assad’s licence to kill
Over the last few weeks I’ve been working with partners to coordinate a package of activities around the one year anniversary of the Syrian uprising on March 15th. The first part of this is now complete, with publication of an … Continue reading
Posted in Middle East
Tagged Assad, Bishop of Wakefield, Crisis Action, Financial Times, Middle East, Syria
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The Obama-Netanyahu deal on Iran
A week laid up in bed with food poising – I knew I shouldn’t have ordered the Rye Oysters last Friday night – left me with little appetite to blog. With the sofa as my sick-bed I’ve spent the week … Continue reading
Posted in Iran
Tagged AIPAC, Deterrence, Iran, Middle East Peace Process, Netanyahu, Nucler Proliferation, Obama, sanctions, WMD
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Why do we fear a nuclear Iran?
Why do we fear a nuclear Iran? Are our fears rational or misplaced? Most analysis starts from the assumption that a nuclear Iran would be dangerous. It follows that the international community should use a range of policy options, even … Continue reading
Posted in Iran, Middle East
Tagged Deterrence, Iran, Israel, MAD, Pakistan, post 9/11, Saudi Arabia, WMD
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