Government Foreign Policy Towards the United States - HC 695
Government Foreign Policy Towards the United States - HC 695

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-04-03

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13: 0215070585

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This reports finds that the Coalition Government has developed in public a more mature and measured relationship with the US, although there has been no fundamental change in the nature of the tie. The Committee declares the relationship to be in good health. In particular, the Committee said that it was not aware of any evidence that the House of Commons vote in August 2013 against potential military action in Syria had damaged the UK's relationship with the US. Rather, the Committee concluded that the episode illustrated general features of the UK-US relationship, namely that developments in the UK could influence US policy; and that the underlying tie was resilient. Today's publication follows up a report produced by the previous Foreign Affairs Committee at the end of the last Parliament, which recommended that the UK Government should adopt a more hard-headed and less deferential approach to the US. The Coalition Government seemed to have taken up this recommendation. The Committee criticises the UK Government's poor provision of information about the UK-US Joint Strategy Board, which was created during President Obama's State Visit to the UK in May 2011. Among strategic issues that it considered, the Committee agreed with the Government that the proposed EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could have significant positive strategic impact for the UK and the transatlantic relationship.

HC 605 - The FCO's Performance and Finances in 2013-14
HC 605 - The FCO's Performance and Finances in 2013-14

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 0215081722

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The cuts imposed on the FCO since 2010 have been severe and have gone beyond just trimming fat: capacity now appears to be being damaged. If further cuts are imposed, the UK's diplomatic imprint and influence would probably reduce, and the Government would need to roll back some of its foreign policy objectives. The FCO's budget is a tiny element of Government expenditure, but the FCO makes disproportionate contribution to policy making at the highest level, including decisions on whether to commit to military action. The next Government needs to protect future FCO budgets under the next Spending Review.

HC 564 - UK Government Policy on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
HC 564 - UK Government Policy on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 0215081102

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The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a genuine, if developing, democracy. It is also a haven of tolerance and stability in a critically unstable region where those values are needed more than ever. It has huge strategic value to the UK as a bridge to other regional powers, is a key bulwark against ISIL, and has significant oil and gas potential. But it is also vulnerable and needs the support of its friends. It should respond positively to the invitation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to be its "partner of choice" on trade, education and cultural exchange as well as on defence and intelligence matters. The Kurdistan Region has work to do on developing its democratic culture and its respect for human rights, and UK support should go hand in hand with proof of progress in these areas. The Committee commends the Region's defence force, the Peshmerga, for its defence of Kurdish territory against ISIL and its protection of vulnerable minorities. It supports the UK Government's decision to offer the Peshmerga equipment and training. Advice is also needed from the Kurdistan Region's experts on issues like counter-terrorism and on the situation on the ground in Iraq and Syria. More diplomats need to be working out of a proper office in Erbil instead of hotel rooms. And this is not easily achieved as the FCO has suffered from cuts to its meagre budget at a time when more expertise and high-level co-operation is desperately needed.

HC 377 - The Use of Diego Garcia by the United States
HC 377 - The Use of Diego Garcia by the United States

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-06-19

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13: 0215073118

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In 1966, the UK concluded an Agreement with the United States giving it permission to use the British Indian Ocean Territory, including the island of Diego Garcia, for defence purposes for an initial period of 50 years. Unless the UK or the US takes steps to terminate the Agreement, it will automatically be extended in 2016 for a further twenty years. The disclosure in 2008 that the US had, contrary to previous statements by the FCO, used facilities at Diego Garcia in the course of rendition (the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners) since 2001, dented public confidence in the UK's ability to exercise control over its sovereign territory. If the UK allows the 1966 Agreement to be extended beyond 2016, the text should be revised. It should specify that any extraordinary use of the US base or facilities, requires prior approval from the UK Government; and it should state explicitly that the British Indian Ocean Territory should not be used for rendition unless authority has first been granted by the UK Government, on a case by case basis

The Work of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in 2013-14 - HL 169, HC 1257
The Work of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in 2013-14 - HL 169, HC 1257

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-04-30

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 0108554473

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The Work Of The Joint Committee On The National Security Strategy In 2013-14 (HC 169, HL 1257) covers the work of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which was established with a broad role; to consider the National Security Strategy. In practice, the Committee has considered not only the National Security Strategy (NSS) document 'A Strong Britain In An Age Of Uncertainty: The National Security Strategy' published by the Government in 2010 (see below), but also the wider strategy that underlies government decision making on matters affecting national security. The report gives an account of activities over the past year, highlighting in particular the evidence session with the Prime Minister in January 2014; draws attention to areas of continuing concern; and outlines objectives for the remainder of the Parliament.

HC 842 - Hong Kong: China's Ban On The Committee's Visit
HC 842 - Hong Kong: China's Ban On The Committee's Visit

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 16

ISBN-13: 0215080742

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In July 2014, the Committee launched an inquiry into the UK's relations with Hong Kong, 30 years after the signing of the Joint Declaration. As part of this inquiry, they planned to visit Hong Kong to speak to a wide range of interlocutors about the UK-Hong Kong relationship. The Chinese and Hong Kong authorities informed the Committee that they considered this to be interference in China's internal affairs and they urged a halt to the inquiry. On 28 November, the Chinese Deputy Ambassador informed the Committee that the Chinese government would take any necessary measures to prevent the Committee from visiting Hong Kong, forcing the postponement of the visit. It was made clear that the Committee would be prevented from entering Hong Kong, despite the fact that, as UK nationals, no visa for entry was required. The Committee considers the ban by China to be unprecedented, and sees it as an obstruction to the conduct of the Committee's parliamentary duties.

HC 551 - The FCO's Human Rights Work in 2013
HC 551 - The FCO's Human Rights Work in 2013

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 0215078861

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The FCO designated 28 countries of concern in its 2013 report, where it judged the gravity of the human rights abuses to be so severe that a particular focus should be applied. The Committee concentrated attention on three of these countries: Sri Lanka, Burma, and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Favourable trade concessions to the EU market should be removed from Sri Lanka if the Government of Sri Lanka continues to deny the OHCHR investigation team access into the country. The Government should advocate re-imposition of sanctions by the EU if there is no improvement in the human rights situation in Burma. The human rights of Israeli, Palestinian and Bedouin citizens living in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories continue to be of serious concern to the UK.

The One-China Policy: State, Sovereignty, and Taiwan's International Legal Status
The One-China Policy: State, Sovereignty, and Taiwan's International Legal Status

Author: Frank Chiang

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2017-11-21

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 0081023154

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The One-China Policy: State, Sovereignty, and Taiwan's International Legal Status examines the issue from the perspective of international law, also suggesting a peaceful solution. The book presents two related parts, with the first detailing the concept of the State, the theory of sovereignty, and their relations with international law. The second part of the work analyzes the political status of the Republic of China in Taiwan and the legal status of the island of Taiwan in international law. Written by a leading international expert in international law, this book provides approaches and answers to the question of Taiwan and the One-China policy. - Responds to a key international issue of our time - Takes a legal perspective on Taiwan and the One-China policy - Considers the definition of a nation State from first principles, also offering new definitions - Applies international law on territory to draw conclusions on Taiwan and its relation to the People's Republic of China - Systematically critiques the role of the UN and other global actors in relation to Taiwan

Counterinsurgency Wars and the Anglo-American Alliance
Counterinsurgency Wars and the Anglo-American Alliance

Author: Andrew Mumford

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 2018-01-02

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1626164932

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Andrew Mumford challenges the notion of a “special relationship” between the United States and United Kingdom in diplomatic and military affairs, the most vaunted and, he says, exaggerated of associations in the post-1945 era. Though they are allies to be sure, national self-interest and domestic politics have often undercut their relationship. This is the first book to combine a history of US-UK interaction during major counterinsurgency campaigns since 1945, from Palestine to Iraq and Afghanistan, with a critical examination of the so called special relationship that has been tested during these difficult, protracted, and costly conflicts. Mumford’s assessment of each nation’s internal political discussions and diplomatic exchanges reveals that in actuality there is only a thin layer of specialness at work in the wars that shaped the postcolonial balance of power, the fight against Communism in the Cold War, and the twenty-first-century “war on terror.” This book is especially timely given that the US-UK relationship is once again under scrutiny because of the Trump administration’s “America First” rhetoric and Britain's changing international relations as a result of Brexit. Counterinsurgency Wars and the Anglo-American Alliance will interest scholars and students of history, international relations, and security studies as well as policy practitioners in the field.