And how has this money been spent? Certainly not on social projects or rebuilding initiatives. Rather, the reporting indicates, the money has been funnelled to Karzai's cronies as bribes in a corrupt attempt to buy influence in the country.

The ten things you need to know on Monday 29 April 2013... 1) 'A COLLECTION OF CLOWNS AND ANGRY PEOPLE' Two things have become clear over the pa...

The reality is that since the fall of Gaddafi's regime, there hasn't been a single day of peace. Once NATO left and journalists returned to their home bureaus, the situation has steadily worsened. The disarmament plan and the reintegration of militias into the army have failed.

The French military intervention in Mali since mid-January and much of the official discussion of Mali in the UN and among Western governments seem to have been driven by a quite narrow and short-term view of the issues the country faces. As in anything, if the problem is mis-diagnosed, the solution will probably mis-fire.

The fight for Libya did not end with the death of Gaddafi. There are still many years of struggle ahead. Struggles for a new national identity, struggles for the development of new freedoms, educational systems, and of the new Libyan civil society. Over the coming months we aim to bring together young writers, photographers, film makers, politicians, entrepreneurs, and academics to share their stories with the world.

The military cooperation agreements announced last month with Algeria and Libya are part of UK 'energy diplomacy' aimed at securing access to strategic resources in North Africa. Both countries are identified in the UK Energy Security Strategy as producers of gas and oil which are important trading partners and hence countries which are important to the UK's energy security.

Tory MP Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the all-party group on rendition, said the Justice and Security Bill would make it more difficult to establish the truth about Britain's complicity in kidnap and torture and make us all less safe. I think he is right about that.

The government has rejected calls for MPs to be given a vote on the deployment of armed forces personel to Mali and west Africa, amid fears Britain co...

David Cameron pledged help to bolster the police and army in Libya today as he made an unannounced visit to the country. The Prime Minister said Br...

David Cameron pledged help to bolster the police and army in Libya today as he made an unannounced visit to the country. The Prime Minister said Br...

In his inauguration speech, Obama told the American people that ten years of war were coming to an end, with the withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. He signalled that he now wanted to concentrate on domestic priorities.