http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183473 The new president may well follow the same path of delegating a lot of economic policy while focusing on the political transition and Egypt's international relations, says Jane Kinninmont. http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183473 Thu, 24 May 2012 10:39:57 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183471 This event will take place against the backdrop of renewed concerns about the eurozone, and the latest IMF forecasts of a weak and fragile recovery in most advanced economies, and significant downside risks for the global economy. Discussions will concentrate on policies needed to improve the outlook and to increase the robustness of the recovery. This event will be held under the Chatham House Rule. Attendance is by invitation only. More about Chatham House International Roundtables. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183471 Wed, 23 May 2012 17:18:37 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183469 The speaker will discuss Chinese diplomacy from a Japanese perspective.For more information please contact the Asia Programme http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183469 Wed, 23 May 2012 16:26:30 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183467 Despite near-universal condemnation of the use of children in armed forces, and widespread ratification of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and its 2002 Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, children continue to be used in government and proxy armed forces around the world. As part of wider discussion on prevention mechanisms and best practice for prevention of recruitment and use of children in armed forces, Isabelle Guitard will present and discuss the findings of Child Soldiers International’s report Better than Cure: Preventing the recruitment and use of children in the Chadian national army. Discussants will expand on further international cases of recruitment, established preventive mechanisms and international, institutional and governmental approaches to this issue. Participants will then be invited to discuss the preventive agenda and paths towards its promotion. Attendance at this event is by invitation only. For more information please contact Zoe Pelter. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183467 Wed, 23 May 2012 15:52:15 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183465 As Europe’s economic turmoil continues, is public support for the European project itself the next victim of the euro crisis? In light of Pew’s latest Global Attitudes study, Bruce Stokes will present new research that analyses citizens’ opinions on how institutions have handled the crisis in eight European countries. Do Europeans still support economic integration, the EU, the ECB and the euro? What do Europeans say about austerity, bailouts and Brussels’ impending oversight of national budgets? This event will examine European public opinion on these issues and the implications for national governments, EU institutions and the possible solutions to the crisis. For more information please contact the Europe Programme. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183465 Wed, 23 May 2012 15:38:52 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183463 Turkey’s influence in the Horn of Africa, and especially in Somalia, has grown. This expert roundtable will explore where the Horn of Africa fits into Turkish foreign policy objectives and identify how Turkish engagement fits with the interests of leaders in the Horn region. Focus will be placed on the nature of Turkey’s humanitarian assistance, business relations, educational provision and political engagement, and speakers will look critically at Turkey’s capacity to deliver as much as is promised. This meeting is being co-organised by Chatham House’s Africa Programme and Europe Programme. Attendance at this event is by invitation only. For more information please contact Ahmed Soliman http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183463 Wed, 23 May 2012 15:19:19 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183461 Registration and reception is from 08:30. Attendees must be seated by 08:55, and doors will close at 09:00. We can only accept individuals who register in advance, and seats will be available on a first-come first-served basis. Registration for this event will close at 16:00 on Thursday 24 May. This invitation is non-transferrable and members are not permitted to bring guests to this event. Journalists wishing to attend should register via the Press Office. This event will be held on the record. Members having trouble logging in can register by emailing the Members Events Team. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183461 Wed, 23 May 2012 15:16:29 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/node/183457 http://www.chathamhouse.org/node/183457 Wed, 23 May 2012 12:39:14 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/node/183455 http://www.chathamhouse.org/node/183455 Wed, 23 May 2012 12:35:06 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/audio-resource/183453 Members Events Manager Sara Shah looks forward to the events in June 2012.    Subscribe to the Chatham House Podcast in iTunes | via RSS          Subscribe to Chatham House event audio in iTunes | via RSS http://www.chathamhouse.org/audio-resource/183453 Wed, 23 May 2012 11:48:48 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183451 Technological change is having a profound impact globally, but perhaps the greatest potential for rapid transformative change lies in large parts of Africa. Whether in the field of computing, signal transmission, drug production, agricultural science or engineering, the speed of development is transforming the political context and choices for decision-makers. Yet little policy discussion appears to take place as to what this means in practice. At this event a panel of experts will discuss the change that is underway across much of Africa and where this may lead in the coming years. Registration and coffee reception from 10:00. For more information please contact Tighisti Amare. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183451 Wed, 23 May 2012 11:05:04 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/media/news/view/183449 Despite its gigantic production capacity and trade links with the rest of the world, China’s financial sector lacks depth and has little connectivity with the international financial system. A new report, Shifting Capital: The Rise of Financial Centres in Greater China, argues that China needs to develop a deeper and more diversified financial sector that reflects the size and the international integration of its real economy to ensure the efficient allocation of capital. Yet building efficient financial systems in China and modern financial centres in Greater China will be riddled with challenges and obstacles. The report focuses on the steps that China is taking to reform its financial services sector through the incremental development of financial centres in the Greater China region. The report takes a broad regional approach, looking at four key international financial centres (IFCs), namely Shanghai, Taipei, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The development of these four IFCs provides a picture of the complex evolution of China’s financial reform, which is a policy-driven process where political considerations directly interact with market forces. If all goes to plan, China will eventually emerge on the international scene as a major financial power and the issuer of one of the key reserve currencies within a multi-currency international system. This will correct the fundamental problem that currently afflicts the international economic and monetary system – where the world’s second largest economy and the first exporter is managing its exchange rate, resulting in a large current account surplus and a very large accumulation of foreign reserves. One of the report’s authors, Paola Subacchi, says: ‘China’s financial integration will trigger fundamental changes in the global economy in the coming decades. What China is doing is critically important. It is also historically unprecedented. China has no roadmap or past experience to rely on. Indeed it is the first emerging country to seek a comprehensive reform and expansion of its financial services sector and to establish a truly international currency.’ Notes to Editors Read the report's key Policy Recommendations. Read Shifting Capital: The Rise of Financial Centres in Greater China, by Paola Subacchi, Helena Huang, Alberta Molajoni and Richard Varghese. To arrange an interview please contact the Press Office. http://www.chathamhouse.org/media/news/view/183449 Wed, 23 May 2012 10:24:24 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/media/news/view/183447 Egypt’s new politicians need to develop and articulate clear blueprints for the country’s economic policy, as a persistent failure to address the economic aspects of popular demands could ultimately lead to a second, angrier and hungrier revolution. Military figures need to be aware that future economic development will depend not only on security, but on transparency and accountability. In ‘Bread, Dignity and Social Justice': The Political Economy of Egypt’s Transition, a new paper published by Chatham House, Jane Kinninmont argues that Egypt’s ability to build confidence among local and foreign investors will depend on the progress of a clearly defined political transition. Uncertainty over the intentions of the military council could weigh on investor confidence and potentially generate domestic tensions that might further weaken the economy and lead to unrest. Predictably, the uncertainty created by the ongoing political transition has deterred investment and depressed growth. Yet Egypt has significant economic resources. With a population of 85 million, Egypt has a relatively diversified economy in comparison with other Arab countries and constitutes a market that international investors in the Middle East or Africa will not ignore. In addition, women’s employment is relatively high for the Arab world. In the last seven years of the Mubarak regime, the government had notable successes in attracting fresh inflows in foreign investment. However, the country has continued to struggle with extensive poverty, chronic unemployment and economic inequality. State services are in such poor shape that it is clear to all political parties that education and healthcare need more investment. The country’s infrastructure, housing and social services range from being in a state of strain to one of near-collapse. There is also hearsay and rumour in the economic debate, and a severe shortage of reliable and timely economic data. There are wildly different estimates of how much of the economy is owned by the military, ranging from 10% to a less plausible 40%. The military is highly suspicious of foreign debt as a possible threat to sovereignty, and is likely to have been the main source of objections to the proposed International Monetary Fund loan in 2011. Above all, the military seeks ‘stability’, meaning both that it will see protests and strikes as economically and politically disruptive, and that it will wish to avoid reforms that might challenge its existing privileges – such as any attempt to scrutinize its budgets. While political unrest has increased Egypt’s already substantial economic challenges, and has alarmed some investors, the current period of political change presents an opportunity to build a stronger, more inclusive and politically legitimate economy in the medium to long term. Notes to Editors Read ‘Bread, Dignity and Social Justice': The Political Economy of Egypt’s TransitionJane Kinninmont is Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House http://www.chathamhouse.org/media/news/view/183447 Wed, 23 May 2012 10:19:10 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183445 The biosafety crisis in many of the laboratories that diagnose and study infectious agents in developing countries was discussed by biorisk experts at a meeting at London’s Chatham House on 17 May. http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183445 Wed, 23 May 2012 10:05:34 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183443 This is a summary of an event held on 30 April 2012 at Chatham House. The event marked the launch of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum's report, Transitional Justice Outreach to the Diaspora, which aims to provide a platform for the Zimbabwean diaspora to take part in addressing the transitional justice question in Zimbabwe. Event details. http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183443 Tue, 22 May 2012 17:10:46 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183441 http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183441 Tue, 22 May 2012 17:07:14 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183439 This is a transcript of a speech made by Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Emeritus Professor at London University, on 16 May 2012 at Chatham House. Professor Bulmer-Thomas discussed regional institution building in the Caribbean, obstacles to further integration, and the pressures faced by countries in the region from foreign governments, multinational corporations and organized crime. Event details. http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183439 Tue, 22 May 2012 16:29:45 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183437 http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183437 Tue, 22 May 2012 16:21:02 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183435 http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183435 Tue, 22 May 2012 16:04:34 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183433 Joseph Stiglitz will argue that, with the richest 1% having access to the best healthcare, education and housing, high-levels of income disparity are to the detriment of not only the other 99%, but the economic health of countries as a whole. He will point to a number of factors which explain extreme levels of inequality – inefficient and unstable markets, the failure of political systems to correct the shortcomings of these markets, and the fundamental imbalances in current political and economic systems – and propose what can be done to address them.For more information about this event, please contact the Members Events Team. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183433 Tue, 22 May 2012 15:44:37 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183431 http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183431 Tue, 22 May 2012 14:45:17 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183429 http://www.chathamhouse.org/image-resource/183429 Tue, 22 May 2012 14:41:12 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183427 The UNDP’s recently released report, ‘Arab Development Challenges: Towards the Developmental State in the Arab Region,’ argues that the relationship between state and citizen in the Arab region has irrevocably changed in the wake of the Arab spring. Demands for dignity, social justice and freedom highlight the urgent need to address economic challenges in tandem with political reforms. Following a presentation from the authors of the report, this roundtable discussion will focus on identifying possible policy recommendations drawn from the findings of this research. For more information please contact Helen Twist. http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/183427 Tue, 22 May 2012 12:10:00 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183425 Shortages of basics like diesel and butane can trigger civil unrest - especially if people start to blame the new president for not doing enough to help them, says Jane Kinninmont. http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183425 Tue, 22 May 2012 11:43:11 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183423 Damascus, and to a certain extent Aleppo, are living in a bubble which it’s essential for the regime to keep alive, says Rime Allaf. http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183423 Tue, 22 May 2012 11:41:53 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183421 This is a summary of an International Roundtable held in New York in April 2012.Against a background of renewed concerns about the eurozone, and IMF forecasts for a weak recovery in most advanced economies and significant downside risks for the global economy, discussion focused on policies needed to improve the outlook and increase the robustness of recovery. Are the crisis resolution measures implemented to date enough to lift the eurozone out of crisis? What is the impact on the global economy of the policies that systemically important countries have put in place to stem the crisis? What are the long term prospects for fiscal sustainability in the developed world? Will China’s moves to internationalize its currency and reform its financial sector help to rebalance the global economy If so, when? How should the G20’s role in co-ordinating international policy develop? Chatham House International Roundtables >> http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183421 Mon, 21 May 2012 17:13:21 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183419 It's a mind game; it's each side trying to prove its own merit here and confusing the West basically into inaction, says Nadim Shehadi. http://www.chathamhouse.org/in-the-news/183419 Mon, 21 May 2012 17:12:42 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183417 http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183417 Mon, 21 May 2012 17:05:15 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183415 This is a summary of discussions that took place at a roundtable discussion held in February 2012 at the Gulf Centre for Policy Studies at the Gulf University of Science and Technology in Kuwait City. Part of Chatham House’s Future Trends in the GCC research project, the discussion brought together a group of academics, civil society representatives, entrepreneurs, journalists and bloggers from different GCC countries to discuss some of the key trends shaping GCC politics, with a focus on trends in identity politics and the politics of sectarianism in the GCC. Key points that emerged from the meeting included:  National identity is still being defined and contested in the GCC states, most of which are less than five decades old.   Participants felt there is inadequate representation of, or attention to, the youth or to women. It was suggested that new ways need to be found to represent these less traditional forces in societies and institutions.  The GCC has experienced a surge in sectarian tensions since early 2011 as a result of the interplay between the Bahraini uprising and the increasing Saudi–Iranian tensions. These sectarian tensions were seen as being basically a political phenomenon based on competition for power and resources.  Nonetheless, it was suggested that Bahrainis and other GCC nationals also need to ask themselves about the social factors that allowed these tensions to grow; many still deny the previous existence of sectarianism, portraying it as solely a government creation or a foreign import. Neither of these presents the full picture.  It was said that civil society groups could play an important role in addressing the causes of sectarian tensions, promoting dialogue and calling for specific policies to address the spatial, economic, social and labour-market segregation that sometimes divides different religious and ethnic groups in the GCC.  Further Resources Kuwait Study Group: The Experience of Parliamentary Politics in the GCC Workshop Summary, February 2012 http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/183415 Mon, 21 May 2012 12:09:22 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183413 http://www.chathamhouse.org/document-resource/183413 Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:09 +0100 Chatham House - Video in Content