The IAEA is to release a report on the Iranian nuclear programme on 8 or 9 November. The report will give strong evidence suggesting that Iran is working on the components of a nuclear weapon, and there has been a flurry of speculation that Israel is preparing for military action against Iran.
Six amendments to the Armed Forces Bill were agreed at Lords Third Reading which took place on 10 October, including several tabled or supported by the Government. This note briefly examines those amendments.
The Lisbon Treaty allows EU Member States to leave the European Union. However, the process, as yet untested, would in all likelihood not be straightforward and would involve negotiating a new relationship for the UK with the EU.
The creation of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice is based on the Tampere (1999-04), Hague (2004-09) and Stockholm (2010-14) programmes. It derives from the pre-Lisbon Title IV TEC (Visas, asylum, immigration and other policies related to free movement of persons) and Title VI TEU (Provisions on police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters) and is now Title V of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the “Area of freedom, security and justice” (AFSJ). The AFSJ therefore comprises policies relating to border controls, asylum and immigration; judicial cooperation in civil matters; judicial cooperation in criminal matters and police cooperation.
This note reviews the prospects for the presidential and parliamentary elections which are due to be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 25 November 2011
Disillusioned with the US-led peace process, Palestinian leaders are seeking a UN resolution in September 2011 in favour of Palestinian statehood. The political implications of such a resolution are likely to be bigger than its legal ones. But despite the momentum gained by the Palestinian proposal, it is possible that external and internal opposition could delay the initiative.
This bibliographical note gathers together a selection of press articles and official and civil society sources of information about the issues facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people in sub-Saharan Africa today.
This note looks at the internal politics of Iran and, in particular, the recent split in the conservative camp between supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei and the President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Shortly after taking office, US President Obama gave negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme one year to produce results, promising to push for a new set of United Nations sanctions if there was no progress. The E3+3 countries, France, Germany and the United Kingdom plus China, Russia and the United States reached agreement on a fourth round of sanctions in June 2010 This note looks at Iran’s nuclear programme, the effects of UN, US and EU sanctions and possible alternative approaches to the problem.
The Independent Report into the Structure and Management of the MOD was published by the Defence Reform Unit on 27 June 2011. That report makes 53 recommendations on the reorganisation of the MOD.
At Turkey’s general elections on 12 June 2011, the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won nearly 50% of the overall vote. This was the first time that a ruling party in Turkey has increased its vote in a third term. In the medium term its biggest challenges will be drafting a new constitution, stabilising the economy, and negotiating changing regional relationships, but in the short term it needs to diffuse a crisis over MPs boycotting parliament.