20th May 2012 Washington DC, USA
The following is a guest post by Neil Holland, First Secretary, Foreign and Security Policy Group at the British Embassy in Washington. Last time I visited Chicago I was struck by three things. First how much fun it was. Blues, good food and drink, and history. That pretty much checks all the main boxes for me. […]
10th May 2012 Washington DC, USA
At this month’s NATO summit in Chicago, the UK, US and our allies will have a hard look at how we are equipped to confront threats in the twenty-first century. Recent NATO missions have shown the benefit of modern capabilities and Smart Defence. Unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and smart munitions were crucial to the […]
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24th April 2012 Ottawa, Canada
Guest blog from Head of Global Issues Group Euan Wallace: Last month I found myself at Lancaster House attending an Foreign Office/Wilton Park Conference: “A climate and resource security dialogue for the 21st Century.” The conference had been many months in the planning and I was lucky to get a place alongside a few other […]
23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
At the 18 April meeting of the NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers in Brussels, the British Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond announced a firm UK commitment to help fund the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) after 2014. He said “The UK contribution of £70m per annum to the funds to support the Afghan National Security Forces will make […]
13th April 2012 Washington DC, USA
Today the US/UK Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty comes into effect. In a ceremony presided by Rose Gottemoeller, the acting US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, our two countries finalised an agreement originally signed five years ago to strengthen our mutual security and build our shared prosperity. British and American manufacturers […]
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5th April 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Yesterday’s horrific bomb attack in Mogadishu has served as yet another reminder of Al Shabaab’s cruel and twisted ideology. The day was meant to be one of celebration – marking the first anniversary of the launch of Somali National Television at the newly re-opened National Theatre. Yet it is to be remembered now for the […]
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27th February 2012
After 20 years of civil war, there are signs of hope for Somalia. The timing of a Conference of 55 delegations at Lancaster House in London last week to discuss the way ahead seemed to embody the growing international consensus – not just among the countries of the region but much more widely – that […]
24th February 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
In my opinion the London Conference on Somalia yesterday was a great success. In case you missed any of it then you can find full reports and links here. It was the biggest conference on Somalia, involving the greatest number of senior leaders, from as wide a range of countries and international organisations, as seen […]
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25th January 2012 USA
A unique feature of the UK’s policy and political work with the US on climate change over the past several years has been the engagement of Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, our Climate and Energy Security Envoy. This first-of-its-kind role has provided the Rear Admiral and our government with new opportunities to work with a key […]
20th January 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Thank you for the fantastic response to my previous blog. It’s great to see so many comments. For my next few blogs I intend to focus on the key themes of the London Conference, and would like to ask that comments try to focus on each of those issues. So, in this blog I want […]
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