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.
My Books
Tag Archives: Archbishop of Canterbury
When aid works and why
In my last blog, We CAN end poverty by 2015, I wrote about the G8 religious leader’s letter that appeared in the Financial Times to mark the 1000 day count down to the Millennium Development Goals. This letter was picked … Continue reading
We CAN end poverty by 2015
Today 80 religious leaders from around the G8, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, have marked the 1000 day count down to the Millennium Development Goals. In a letter to the Financial Times , that is reproduced on the Lambeth Palace … Continue reading
Posted in Development
Tagged #1000DaysToGo, Archbishop of Canterbury, Financial Times, MDGs, Millennium Development Goals
1 Comment
Europe and its crisis of legitimacy
The reaction across European capitals to the Greek elections appears to be one of sober relief. With Greek so deeply divided and with Europe still short of a road map to solve the Eurozone’s structural problems this is not a … Continue reading
Posted in Europe
Tagged Archbishop of Canterbury, Church of England, Democracy, Euro, Euro zone, Europe, European Commission, Greece, Legitimacy
Leave a comment
Egypt and the Altar Lot
It has been amusing over the last few months to read the media stories as to who might or might not be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. More interesting perhaps is who will succeed Pope Shenouda III as the leader … Continue reading
Posted in Middle East, Uncategorized
Tagged Altar Lot, Archbishop of Canterbury, Coptic Christians, Egypt, Pope Shenouda III
Leave a comment
Christians in the Middle East
Later next month, on the 9th December, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be leading a debate in the House of Lords to call attention to the situation of Christians in the Middle East. The debate will provide an opportunity for Peers … Continue reading
The Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out on the situation in Egypt
Yesterday the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement – copied below - on the recent disturbances in Cairo. The statement draws attention to Egypt’s long history of peaceful interfaith relations and the urgency of ensuring the rights of all citizens are assured. In a … Continue reading
Posted in Middle East
Tagged Arab Democracy, Archbishop of Canterbury, Coptic Christians, Egypt, Pope Shenuda, Rowan Williams
Leave a comment
Hacking the Holy Land into Oblivion
A tough few weeks preparing for General Synod and the inevitable struggle to meet deadlines before the summer recess has meant blogging has taken a back seat. The public’s fixation with News International and the phone hacking scandal has also … Continue reading
Responding to the Violence in Southern Kordofan
The week before last I blogged on how the orchestrated violence by the Government of Sudan in the Abeyi region threatened a humanitarian emergency and South Sudan’s move to independence on 9 July. Since then the situation has worsened significantly. Yesterday, the … Continue reading
Posted in Sudan
Tagged Archbishop of Canterbury, Diocese of Bradford, Diocese of Kadugli, Nick Baines, South Kordofan
Leave a comment
The Anglican Alliance and Food Security
A frequent complaint levelled at the Church is that it is a rather slow, cumbersome and antiquated body out of touch with the concerns of ordinary citizens. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent editorial in the New Statesmen paints a rather … Continue reading
Posted in Food Security
Tagged Anglican Alliance, Archbishop of Canterbury, Food Security, G20
1 Comment
General Synod: Doing Business with DfID and Andrew Mitchell
What can one say about Andrew Mitchell’s address to General Synod? Let’s take the question of style first. This was a very business like performance. There was none of the rabble rousing rhetoric used by Secretary of State’s of old. … Continue reading


