Resignations, possible replacements of ministers and increasing violence have hit already fragile Iraqi politics in the last few days. Officials say 110 people were killed in the latest violence. These are indeed difficult days. The Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government are at odds over issues including a swathe of disputed territory in north…
I previously mentioned two indexes, the Department for International Development’s (DFID) needs-effectiveness index and the Fund for Peace’s Failed States Index. There are many other examples though and in recent years it has seemed to be a growth industry with everyone and anyone wanting to have a piece of the action. As the recent errors…
When the Coalition came into power it set the Department of International Development (DFID) a target of allocating 30% of the UK’s bilateral official development assistance (the term devised by the OECD and its member countries to determine whether funding or other support counts as aid or not) by 2014-15. In many ways this was…
Those of you who are active followers of English cricket (certain members of my office included) will have been transfixed by the ongoing dispute over text messages that Kevin Pietersen reportedly sent to his South African opponents. Pietersen was immediately dropped from the Test side, was not included in the One Day Internationals against South…
The Paralympic Games were a triumph for Great Britain – not only in terms of sporting ability, but in opening the public’s eyes to the talent, skills and capability of disabled people. The challenge now is to build on the progress made Streamers, fireworks, balloons and parading athletes have gone. Vanished from view, the Olympic…
