International organisations

The bilateral and multilateral aid reviews establish priorities for the Department for International Development's aid expenditure to 2014/15. This note looks at the process and results of these reviews.

What the rules of engagement are in Libya, and how far coalition forces are allowed to go in protecting the civilian population are highly controversial. This note looks briefly at some of the current questions.

This note looks at the development of a consensus on the United Nations Security Council for a resolution permitting military intervention in Libya. It reproduces the resolution.

The G20 has met at leaders' level since November 2008. The second summit in 2010 takes place in Seoul in November. This note provides background to the G20, outcomes of summits so far, the agenda for Seoul, and the G8/G20 relationship.

Shortly after taking office, US President Obama gave negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme one year, promising to push for a new set of United Nations sanctions if there was no progress. After negotiating since the end of 2009, the E3+3 countries, France, Germany and the United Kingdom plus China Russia and the United States reached agreement on the fourth round of sanctions in June 2010 This note looks at Iran's nuclear programme and UN, US and EU sanctions.

Describes the cases that led to the quashing of the terrorist asset-freezing regime by the Supreme Court, the temporary provisions bill that reinstated it and the present Bill, designed to provide a permanent solution to the problem.

The UN's eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are aimed at reducing world poverty and improving lives by 2015. This note provides background and a progress assessment ahead of a UN review summit in September 2010.

In order to make sense of Sudan's present and possible futures, it is vital to know something of its recent past. This is the purpose of this Standard Note, which provides a detailed account of events in Sudan, including their regional impact, between 2003 and 2009. It will not be updated.

The military campaign in Afghanistan was not specifically mandated by the UN, but was widely (although not universally) perceived to be a legitimate form of self-defence under the UN Charter. This note outlines the self-defence justification for military action.

On 27 January 2010 the Supreme Court announced that it had upheld the appeal in the case of HM Treasury v Ahmed and Others, which concerned the UK's implementation of United Nations obligations to freeze the assets of terrorists by way of two Orders in Council made under section 1 of the United Nations Act 1946. The Court quashed the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 and provisions in the Al-Qaida and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006. The Government announced its intention to introduce primary legislation to re-instate the asset-freezing regime.

International sources of social statistics. By Kathryn Keith. SN/SG/3140.

A year on from Dmitry Medvedev’s succession to the Kremlin, this paper analyses the evolution of Russian foreign policy under both Putin and Medvedev. It seeks to identify the main themes, interests, and objectives of Russian foreign policy, and to appraise the role of President Medvedev in the direction of Russian diplomacy and his relationship with Prime Minister Putin. In so doing, it examines, in detail, Russia’s relationship with the United States, NATO, the EU, and the UK and analyses the role of energy in relations between Russia and the West. Finally, it looks ahead at the prospects for the relationship in light of President Obama’s declared intention to press the “reset” button in US-Russian relations.

This note is intended to offer a brief overview of the current work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the contemporary debates which surround it.