Research Briefing
EU obligations: UK implementing legislation since 1993
How much UK law implements EU obligations? This is virtually impossible to answer accurately, but approximate calculations can be made using law databases.
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Research Briefing
India-Pakistan relations: January 2015 update
India-Pakistan relations remain fraught with danger and mistrust. Since October 2014, there have been regular exchanges of fire between their troops across the ‘Line of Control’ which runs through contested Kashmir. Turbulent times could lie ahead.The two nuclear-armed governments accuse each other of responsibility for these skirmishes. The tenor of their exchanges has become increasingly hostile. There are also Indian claims that militant groups based on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control are seeking to infiltrate Indian-administered Kashmir in larger numbers. Over recent months, there have been several battles between militants and security forces. Hopes that India and Pakistan could resume talks in earnest following the electoral victory of Narendra Modi in India last year have not yet been realised. He is currently acting like a man for whom a deal with Pakistan is desirable but not essential. His self-confidence may soon receive another boost. Political developments within Indian Jammu and Kashmir could produce a coalition government involving his party, the BJP – an outcome which few observers would have predicted until very recently. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government is keen to do a deal with India on Kashmir and other issues but cannot afford to look weak. He will be hoping that the PDP decides against joining up with the BJP in Indian Jammu and Kashmir. The more moderate Kashmiri separatist leaders will share the dismay of the Pakistan government if it does. However, the armed militant groups – whose influence and reach have waned in recent years – are likely to be delighted if the BJP shares power, as increased political polarisation could act as a recruiting-sergeant for them. Pakistan’s anxieties about the increasingly close US-India relationship have heightened recently. President Obama recently finished a three-day visit to India in which numerous deals were signed.
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Research Briefing
Greece’s new anti-austerity coalition
The recent parliamentary election in Greece was a triumph for the radical left-wing Syriza party, which has now formed an anti-austerity coalition. What are the political and economic implications of these developments?
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Research Briefing
Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill [HL]
An analysis of the Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill as brought from the House of Lords. Second Reading is on 2 February 2015. The intention of the Bill is to reform the Service Complaints System and strengthen independent oversight of that system by converting the role of the current Service Complaints Commissioner into a Service Complaints Ombudsman. The Bill also includes a power to make payments to charities, benevolent organisations and others for the benefit of the armed forces community.
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Research Briefing
Political crisis in Bangladesh: January 2015 update
The political scene in Bangladesh remains as turbulent as ever. Flawed elections in January 2014 were boycotted by the main opposition parties, leaving the field clear for the ruling Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina. There has been renewed protest action on the streets to mark the first anniversary of the elections, which has led to increased violence and at least ten deaths. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia was detained in her office for over two weeks by the authorities and faces trial for corruption. This briefing provides an overview of developments in the country since the 2014 elections.
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Research Briefing
Nigeria 2015: analysis of election issues and future prospects
This paper looks at the multiple challenges facing Nigeria as it prepares for presidential and legislative elections on 14 February 2015. These elections will take place amidst an atmosphere of even greater crisis and uncertainty than usual. Boko Haram’s insurgency in the north of the country continues unabated. There are fears that the country might break up if the election aftermath is poorly handled. However, some observers remain remarkably hopeful about Nigeria’s future, predicting that its enormous economic potential is on the verge of being realised at last.
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Research Briefing
International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill 2014-15: progress of the bill
This note looks at the debates on the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill 2014-15 since the bill’s introduction. In committee, the bill was amended, changing the requirements about the scrutiny of aid spending. At third reading, the bill was passed by the House of Commons by 146 votes to five.
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Research Briefing
Viral emails protesting about government spending on international aid
This note analyses statistics contained in a viral email on aid spending, which is often headed 'Something to think about'.
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Research Briefing
In Brief: Progress against ISIS December 2014
A brief summary of the progress of the military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
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Research Briefing
Bahrain and the UK: 2014 controversies
The UK’s political and security relationship with Bahrain is disputed even though the protests that began in 2011 are subsiding. This briefing summarises the controversies
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Research Briefing
The UK in the European Union: in brief
What has happended in the European Economic Community since the UK joined in 1973?
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Research Briefing
Main Treaty amendments since the UK joined the EEC
Many argue that the EU is a far cry from what the UK signed up to in 1973. This note looks at the major Treaty changes since the UK joined the EEC in 1973.
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Research Briefing
Protocol No.15 to the European Convention on Human Rights: subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation
This note looks briefly at the Brighton reform conference in 2012 and reforms implemented before and since. It considers two of the reforms in Protocol 15 that the UK Government particularly wanted, in the light of the European Court of Human Rights judgments in Hirst and Abu Qatada, concerning subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation.
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Research Briefing
Iran, the nuclear negotiations and relations with the UK
How is the thaw in relations between Iran and the UK going?
Total results (page 125 of 173)