Last week two of the most inspirational figures of the British left came together. Metaphorically, that is. For it was at the memorial service for Peter Townsend in St Martin’s in the Field, by Trafalgar Square. The speaker Tony Benn. read more

On Thursday, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission reported to Congress that there had been a steep rise in attempts to infiltrate and disrupt US government websites. Although the commission noted that these attacks come from all over the world, it went on to highlight the People’s Republic ...

Gareth Young invited me to ‘The Future of England’.  A debate that followed the annual general meeting of the Campaign for an English Parliament. In plucky fashion it was held in the House of Commons on the day of the State Opening of Parliament. There were more than a hundred crowded into Committee ...

President Medvedev’s announcement that he is considering reducing the number of time zones in Russia has evoked a sense of déjà vu in Samara. Previous attempts have all failed and Medvedev would do well to think hard before proceeding, warns Vladimir Zvonovsky read more

International aid today and its origins read more

Peter Mandelson is planning to introduce changes to the Digital Economy Bill now in Parliament to give the Secretary of State power to amend copyright law by statutory instrument, effectively allowing he and his successors to do anything, without parliamentary approval or debate, provided it is done ...

Obama urges North Korea and Iran to change course On the final leg of his tour of East Asia, US President Barack Obama has used a joint press conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to urge North Korea and Iran to change their nuclear stances or face sanctions in the future. read more

It is widely accepted among those working in, or on, international organisations, from the UN to the EU, UNDP, NATO or the World Bank, that statebuilding offers a way out of contemporary conflicts around the world: local, civil, regional and international conflicts, as well as complex emergencies, and ...

Oliver Richmond argues that the grand liberal peacebuilding project has failed. Societies and states subjected to peacebuilding and statebuilding by the international community on a large scale – Afghanistan and Iraq spring to mind – have not been transformed, and the expected benefits have not trickled ...

Rebuilding "fragile" and "failing" states is a declared priority of most western governments. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has issued a rash of policy statements and guidelines to help donor countries think through how best to restore public institutions, accountability, ...