http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/rss/2 This feed contains all new content added to the Chatham House website - news, events and publications. http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1239/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1239/ 16:30, 13th July 2009 - More details to follow. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:31:07 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1238/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1238/ 12:30, 14th July 2009 - The speakers will discuss the key issues to come out after the 2009 Iranian Presidential elections. They will give analysis of the disputed election results and the subsequent impact on Iranian society - from the organised protests of the opposition, to the reaction of the government, the Guardian Council, and the Supreme Leader Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:26:57 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1237/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1237/ 08:00, 24th July 2009 - The Angola Forum at Chatham House will be celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. The Forum has been at the forefront in publishing important research and analysis on Angola and convening a host of events over the last ten years. This conference will draw attention to Angola's growing importance in international relations, and aims to raise the visibility of Angola in the UK and throughout Europe. For more information please contact Tighisti Amare. More about the Angola Forum >> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:24 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2408/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2408/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:14:10 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2407/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2407/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:13:25 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2406/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2406/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:12:38 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2405/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2405/ The two books under review, The Tradition of Non-use of Nuclear Weapons, by T V Paul, and Deterrence: From Cold War to Long War. Lessons from Six Decades of RAND Research, by Austin Long, highlight the continued interest in the theory and practice of nuclear deterrence. Long traces the RAND Corporation's research on the subject, exploring the role that nuclear deterrence has played as a strategy of the Cold War. The author goes on to argue for the relevance of nuclear deterrence to the future strategic environment, considering threats from peer-competitors to non-state actors. By contrast Paul considers the rise and persistence of a tradition, or informal social norm, of non-use which has encouraged self-deterrence. Taken together, these books encourage further consideration of the relationship between nuclear deterrence and the tradition of non-use. Indeed, it is difficult to see how the two practices can successfully coexist if non-nuclear states have, as Paul suggests, already begun to exploit the existence of a tradition of non-use. Such deterrence failures, real or perceived, have profound implications for relationships between nuclear and non-nuclear states. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:11:42 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2404/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2404/ China's 30 years of reform are often presented as a seamless progression towards greater liberalization and opening up. This review article of Yasheng Huang's Capitalism with Chinese characteristics shows how the author makes a compelling argument about how radically China's economic reforms changed from before and after the Tiananmen Square incident in June 1989. The 1980s saw the pro-rural, largely equitable, and generally liberal economic policies, with a private sector able to find sources of capital from family or relationship networks, and the creation of a very flexible and largely unplanned town and village enterprise system across China. From the 1990s, however, China has been dominated by pro-urban, less equitable and much more heavily state-led economic policies. Shanghai exemplifies this, with a highly circumscribed non-state sector, stagnation of per capita GDP growth in favour of company growth, and the Pudong development area largely based on land grab, and disrespect for the private property rights of the former tenant farmers based there. China grapples with the legacy of this policy change in 1989 to this day, with an increasingly disenfranchised and impoverished rural population, and cities that are both unsustainable, but irrevocable. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:08:23 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/153/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/153/ 00:00, 25th January 2010 - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:06:38 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2403/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2403/ Japan and China's ability to manage their bilateral relationship is crucial for the stability of the East Asian region. It also has a global impact on the security and economic development of other regions. For just as China's rise has inevitably involved an expansion of its global reach, so Japan's responses to the challenges posed by China have increasingly taken a global form, seeking to incorporate new partners and frameworks outside East Asia. Japan's preferred response to China's regional and global rise in the post-Cold War period has remained one of default engagement. Japan is intent on promoting China's external engagement with the East Asia region and its internal domestic reform, through upgrading extant bilateral and Japan-China-US trilateral frameworks for dialogue and cooperation, and by emphasizing the importance of economic power to influence China. Japan is deliberately seeking to proliferate regional frameworks for cooperation in East Asia in order to dilute, constrain and ultimately engage China's rising power. However, Japan's engagement strategy also contains the potential to tilt towards default containment. Japan's domestic political basis for engagement is becoming increasingly precarious as China's rise stimulates Japanese revisionism and nationalism. Japan also appears increasingly to be looking to contain China on a global scale by forging new strategic links in Russia and Central Asia, with a 'concert of democracies' involving India, Australia and the US. Nevertheless, Japan's perceived inability to channel China's rise either through regional engagement or through global containment carries a further risk of pushing Japan to resort to the strengthening of its military power in an attempt to guarantee its essential national interests. It is in this instance that Japan and China run the danger of a military collision. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:06:02 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2402/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2402/ The literature on China's regional rise reveals divergent understandings of why China changed its regional strategy and when such a transformation occurred. There are also different understandings of the extent of China's power in the region-or more often, the extent to which US power in East Asia is already challenged by China's regional rise. Nevertheless, there is a consensus of sorts over how Chinese policy has changed with an emphasis on a combination of proactive diplomatic initiatives and ever increasing economic interactions. After providing a brief overview of the existing literature, the main part of this article considers the role of China's 'soft power' in reconfiguring power relationships in East Asia. It suggests that while the US might have lost some of its ideational appeal, it is through working within existing frameworks and 'norms' (rather than establishing new revisionist alternatives) that China has had most success in assuaging fears of the consequences of its rise. However, the way in which others conceive of China's rise and Chinese power (and subsequently act) does provide a form of 'non-hard' power that might help China's leaders attain their regional objectives particularly in light of the continuing global economic crisis. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:01:51 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2401/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2401/ As its economic power, military strength and cultural influence expands, India draws ever closer to becoming a leading player in world politics. Yet relatively little is known about what Indians take to be the nature of international politics and, correspondingly, how their power and influence should be used. A survey of Indian political thought reveals sharp disagreements. Moralists wish for India to serve as an exemplar of principled action. Hindu nationalists want Indians to act as muscular defenders of Hindu civilization; strategists advocate cultivating state power by developing strategic capabilities; and liberals seek prosperity and peace by increasing trade and interdependence. This article argues that current trends indicate that India will increasingly prioritize its quest for prosperity and peace. But if this quest is thwarted by external threats, then calls to enhance India's military power will most probably grow louder, and be heeded more closely. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:47:43 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2400/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2400/ The American decision to deploy missile defence in Poland endangered the central myth of Putin's regime (Russia's rebirth as a Great Power), challenged the status of Putin as Russia's strongman, and introduced an additional uncertainty into the carefully scripted campaign for succession to Putin. It also hit the raw nerve of Russia's reliance on nuclear weapons. The character of Russian policy-making has guaranteed the worst-case scenario evaluation of the American programme. The Russian elite's world view has magnified the problems resulting from the deployment into fears of a window of vulnerability. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:46:25 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2399/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2399/ Historically the NATO allies have focused considerable attention on US 'extended deterrence' - that is, the extension by Washington of an umbrella of protection, sometimes called a 'nuclear guarantee'. A persisting requirement has been to provide the allies with assurance about the reliability and credibility of this protection. This article examines the definition of 'assurance' used by the US Department of Defense for most of the past decade and argues that it has drawn attention to long-standing policy challenges associated with US extended deterrence in NATO. The article considers the assurance roles of US nuclear forces in Europe, as well as elements of assurance in Washington's relations with its allies regarding extended nuclear deterrence. Whether the allies will retain the current requirements of extended deterrence and assurance in their new Strategic Concept or devise a new approach will be an issue of capital importance in the policy review launched at the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit. Contrasting approaches to these questions are visible in the United States and Germany, among other allies. The main issues to be resolved include reconciling extended deterrence with arms control priorities; managing the divisions in public and expert opinion; and avoiding certain potential consequences of a rupture with established arrangements. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:43:45 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2398/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2398/ Preparations for the next UK defence review are under way; a struggle is imminent and the lines of battle are being drawn. There is a grave danger that in the new 'age of austerity' defence planning-and strategy generally-will be driven by tribal conflicts, either between supporters of one or other of the armed services or between contending viewpoints about the nature of conflict. And there will be others who will argue that the defence review should be driven simply by the need to reduce government expenditure, as quickly as possible. These arguments not only reduce the defence debate to a struggle between various incompatible and uncompromising tribal beliefs-'war among the fetishes', perhaps-they also miss the point. This article gauges the extent of the economic challenges which the UK defence establishment will confront over the coming decade. The authors consider how best to approach the problem of undiminished (and even expanding) commitments at a time of decreasing resources. They argue that defence planning should be driven by the notion of value (the ratio of function to cost), which in turn requires both a clear national political vision and a defence establishment which is output- rather than input-oriented. Finally, the authors assert that defence must transform itself to be able to achieve the outputs required in the most efficient and responsive manner. Read also: Blair's Wars and Brown's Budgets: From Strategic Defence Review to Strategic Decay in Less Than a DecadePaul Cornish and Andrew Dorman, International Affairs, March 2009 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:31:58 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2397/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2397/ One of the most striking financial developments in recent years is the emergence of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs)-large publicly owned investment portfolios, which are growing rapidly in both number and size. In a global environment already roiled by a prolonged credit crisis, SWFs raise tricky and potentially controversial new questions for international financial regulation. One issue of concern to many in host countries is the possibility that some SWFs might be used for overt or tacit political purposes, posing a challenge for global monetary governance: a Great Tradeoff between the world community's collective interest in sustaining the openness of capital markets and the legitimate national security concerns of individual host countries. Can some balance between the two be found that will be both stable and acceptable to all concerned? Individually as well as collectively, recipient countries have begun to address the regulatory challenge directly. To date, however, accomplishments have been slight and have failed to stem a noticeable drift towards financial protectionism. A review of some recent proposals suggests that there is no foolproof solution to the Great Tradeoff. But the potential for controversy could be significantly reduced by a negotiated agreement among host governments addressing three key issues: definitions, risk assessment and dispute resolution. The most logical venue for such an exercise would be the OECD, building on its already extensive experience with international investment issues. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:28:52 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/152/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/152/ 23:00, 28th March 2010 - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:24:52 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2396/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2396/ Political protest in Europe and the problematic politics surrounding bank recapitalization in the US have raised growing concerns about the rise of populist politics. Populist politics is problematic in its search for simplistic solutions to complex problems, its disdain for institutions and its political ambiguity. Nonetheless, the rise of populist mobilization also points to genuine concerns about the functioning of democracy. The politics of financial regulation has been dominated by a narrow, utilitarian and technocratic mode of policy-making that has tried to limit public debate, favouring an expert discourse which privileges questions of efficiency over questions of distribution. This article explores the distributional issues at stake in banking recapitalization (particularly questions about the returns governments receive for their investment) and regulation (through an exploration of the financialization literature). It argues that, while populist appeals to 'the people' are too ambiguous to be helpful, given the complexity of the interests at stake in financial regulation, there is a need for a wider and more democratic debate about financial regulation that pays greater attention to distributional issues. Populist mobilization can create pressure for debate, even if it presents few solutions. As a result, we should be wary of moves to shift too much regulation to the international level where populist mobilization is less effective. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:24:49 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2395/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2395/ Many insist that the world economy today is in the grip of the most severe financial crisis since 1931. Although the origins of this crisis are in dispute, the extent and scale of the changes prompted by it are becoming clear. Among these changes are a recalibration of the relationship between public and private authority, a reconfiguration of the regulatory responsibilities and capacities of the state with respect to the financial system, and a rebalancing of relations of power among states. While the financial crisis has generated points of stress along all of these axes of change, we should be wary of expecting an entirely new global financial order to emerge from the carnage. The complex links between financial order and world politics suggest that this financial crisis will result in an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary transformation in the world's financial order. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:20:48 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2394/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2394/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:17:53 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2393/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2393/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:16:33 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2392/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/ia/archive/view/-/id/2392/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:15:24 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1236/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1236/ 23:00, 15th September 2009 - Energy and the environment both involve the European Union in relations of interdependence with non-member states. Increasing reliance on energy imports means that the EU must find ways of increasing coherence in its relations with a diverse set of producer and transit countries such as Russia, Algeria, Egypt, Ukraine and Turkey. The trans-boundary nature of many environmental problems is something EU policy makers also need to address. In response to these concerns, the EU's strategy is to use external governance to encourage a common regulatory area of shared trade, transit and environmental rules which will facilitate well-functioning regional and inter-regional markets. While this strategy of influence makes theoretical sense, its use in practise raises a number of critical questions that this seminar will aim to address by drawing on case studies conducted as part of a major research project. Attendance at this event is strictly by invitation only. This event is jointly organized by Strathclyde University and the Energy, Environment and Development Programme at Chatham House. For more information please contact Tim Eaton. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:14:34 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1235/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1235/ 14:00, 6th July 2009 - Svante Cornell (co-editor) and James Sherr (contributor) will present a new book on the war of August 2008 which seeks to establish a coherent and substantiated record of the events of August 2008 - and their prehistory - as an essential precursor to establishing the causes and consequences of the conflict in the Caucasus. They will argue that the causes of Russia's war with Georgia can only be understood within the context of a long-term view of the countries' relations with each other, and the West. The August war was the culmination of a long preparatory period that began with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, if not earlier. The conflict was never just about the land and people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia; Russia's relationship with the West was and remains a crucial determinant. Svante Cornell is Research Director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program. He is a co-founder and Director of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy. He is also the Editor of Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst. Attendance at this event is by invitation only. For more information please contact the Russia and Eurasia programme. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:04:53 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1234/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1234/ 09:00, 13th July 2009 - The President will speak about the challenges facing Sudan and the implications for Southern Sudan as it approaches elections next year and a referendum on its constitutional future in 2011. He will also address the major political issues facing Southern Sudan and the rest of Sudan, including the conflict in Darfur. The President will outline how his government intends to fight the growth of corruption and counter inter-ethnic violence, as well as its plans for developing enterprise and improving the lives of its people. Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first Vice President of Sudan and the President of the Government of Southern Sudan. He succeeded to these posts following the death of Dr John Garang. Salva Kiir was a founder member of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and is a former deputy leader of the SPLM. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:46:40 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/151/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/151/ 00:00, 8th February 2010 - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:19:28 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1233/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1233/ 13:00, 6th July 2009 - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. This press briefing is an opportunity for the press to put questions to President Farole. President Farole will discuss the role his administration will play in tackling piracy and terrorism, issues that he made priorities during his election campaign. This event is only open to members of the press. For more information please contact the press office. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:56:03 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1232/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1232/ 08:00, 3rd July 2009 - Iraq's displaced are the world's largest group of urban refugees, and the largest refugee crisis the Middle East has witnessed since 1948. The humanitarian situation of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is of great concern to UNHCR. The presence of an estimated 500,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan imposes a heavy burden on the economy and social structure of the country, which is also host to a significant number of Palestinian refugees. The speaker will argue that Jordan needs more robust solidarity from the international community to enable it to cope with the situation. Imran Riza currently serves as representative of UNHCR to Jordan, where he oversees a large and high-profile operation of maintaining protection space and providing safety nets for Iraqi refugees. Mr Riza's career with the United Nations has involved managing refugee operations in Africa, South-East Asia, East Asia and the Middle East for UNHCR; as well as assignments with the World Food Programme and the UN Political Mission in Lebanon. For more information please contact Jessica Forsythe. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:33:22 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/759/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/759/ The Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), established to coordinate relations between the two entities, is due to hold its next meeting later this year. This paper assesses what the outcomes from that meeting will be on this evolving, dynamic, and complex relationship. China's involvement in African countries goes back many years. Relationships from mid 1950s to late 1970s based more on emotional intimacy than that of 1980s and the period after the cold war. To some extent, the current relationship builds more on pragmatic economic considerations. China is already Africa's third largest trading partner. China is a complex actor, and Africa a complex continent. China, while predominantly state led in its behaviour, differs depending on which country it works in Africa, how it works, and what actors are involved, be they state, or non state, companies. Some of this involvement has been positive, with major investment, under very flexible terms, going to aid projects. Some has been highly problematic, causing China reputational damage. In the coming years, China will almost certainly increase its interests in Africa. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:31:29 +0100 http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/news/view/-/id/643/ http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/news/view/-/id/643/ Iran's elections were a monumental miscalculation and now the Islamic Republic faces the most serious crisis of authority in a generation, writes Ali Ansari in this month's The World Today. Hard liners may have overreached in their quest for democratic approval. On climate change, Bernice Lee and Antony Froggatt write that the international community is not doing enough to deviate from 'business as usual' in tackling greenhouse gas emissions. Politics is trumping science as national interests come before a concerted global effort to do something about emissions. Economist Max Watson outlines a programme of action for the Euro area where policy often lags behind events. He argues that the Euro area cannot afford to wait and see what strains emerge over the medium term; it needs stronger policy coordination now. Full contents Iran Elections: Monumental Miscalculation, Ali Ansari Democracy: Dicing With Democracy, Richard Youngs Democracy: The Quiet Democrat, Nicolas Bouchet Engaging Iran - European Lessons for America: Tempting Tehran, Riccardo Alcaro Burma: All Change or No Change?, Richard Horsey Burma: Trust the People, Maung Zarni Climate Change Politics: Dangerous Game of Dare, Bernice Lee and Antony Froggatt Russia: Strategic Loneliness, Vadim Kononenko Central Asia: Power Plays, Graeme P Hern and Katva Palazzolo Mexico - Swine Flu: Victor or Victim?, Rodrigo Delgado Aguilera The Euro and the Global Financial Crisis: Surviving Strain, Max Watson Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:49:40 +0100