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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Tag Archives: Britain’s Role in the World
China and Britain – Trade versus Human Rights
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo’s visit to Britain has once again raised debate as to the appropriate relationship between trade and human rights? After signing a trade agreement worth £1.4bn today, the Prime Minister rejected suggestions there was a “trade-off” between … Continue reading
Posted in China, Human Rights
Tagged Britain's Role in the World, China, David Cameron, Human Rights, Trade, Wen Jiabao
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Managing Our Defence in an Age of Austerity
Tensions between politicians and the armed forces have once again spilled over into the public domain these last few weeks with the latter complaining once again that they are being asked to do more with less. Much of the existing ill … Continue reading
Posted in Defence
Tagged Britain's Role in the World, Defence, Euroopean Defence Spending, Libya, NATO, Robert Gates, Strategic Defence Review
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Photo Essay: The Coalition One Year
This week’s photo essay takes us back a year to the press conference in the gardens of No 10 where David Cameron and Nick Clegg launched the Coalition Government. One year on what are we to make of the … Continue reading
Location, Location, Location
Location, location, location is the mantra when it comes to buying property, but does it also hold when it comes to the hosting of major diplomatic events? If it does, what does the hosting of yesterday’s London Conference on Libya at … Continue reading
Posted in Libya
Tagged Britain's Role in the World, Lancaster House, Libya, London Conference
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Brief a Bishop: The Middle East Peace Process
Next Friday, 1 April, Peers will spend the whole day debating recent events in Libya and the wider Middle East. It is my job to ensure that those bishops taking part in this debate are properly briefed. Whether they use … Continue reading
Brief a Bishop: Egypt
Next Friday, 1 April, Peers will spend the whole day debating recent events in Libya and the wider Middle East. It is my job to ensure that those bishops taking part in this debate are properly briefed. Whether they use that briefing … Continue reading
Operation Odyssey: Parliament and the Unanswered Questions
After reading through nearly seven hours of Parliamentary debate yesterday on Operation Odyssey, I now realise that I’m not the only one at a loss to know how this is all going to end and how long it might all … Continue reading
Operation Odyssey – The Last Hurrah for Liberal Interventionism?
Does the interpretation of and subsequent implementation of UNSCR 1973 make further humanitarian interventions less or more likely? I know this is a hypothetical question, and I recognise we are only a few short days in to Operation Odyssey, but … Continue reading
UNSC Resolution 1973: Too Little, Too Late?
Last night the United Nations Security Council passed a robust and far reaching Resolution in response to the situation in Libya. Whatever happens from here this is an important moment in the life of the United Nations. There is no … Continue reading
Libya and The Grounding of the No Fly Zone
After a long and difficult European summit in Brussels last Friday, where any mention of No Fly Zones was written out of the final script, the Prime Minister faced yesterday an equally sceptical and concerned House of Commons. William Hague … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, British Foreign Policy
Tagged Britain's Role in the World, David Cameron, Defence, European Council, Libya, No-Fly Zones
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