Ethiopia: We need to talk about Tigray

More questions than answers on the way forward for Tigray.  But hope is not a good basis for strategic planning and wishing that the problem would go away is pointless.  In such a context, results cannot be bought - rather grown over time.  But the humanitarian clock [...]

By |2021-07-05T07:37:31+00:00June 30th, 2021|Africa, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa|0 Comments

Tanzania: Supporting change after the first hundred days

After a period of exceptionalism, Tanzania's new President offers opportunities for change.  But don't mistake an alignment of interests for an alignment of ideology.  Be level headed and pragmatic about why and how change might happen in Tanzania.  The opportunity now is to show that engagement can [...]

By |2021-06-29T15:50:11+00:00June 29th, 2021|Tanzania|0 Comments

In pursuit of synergy in the FCDO

Following the merger of the FCO and DFID into a single Department to be known as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the task of integrating policy and programmes is underway. By all accounts, this task has taken on the characteristic of a number of choices – [...]

By |2020-11-24T18:18:57+00:00November 24th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Merging DFID into the FCO doesn’t have to be all bad

Boris Johnson has announced the merger of DFID into the FCO.  He cites the need to fully integrate all arms of foreign policy into a single coherent whole as his motivation. But the characterisation of DFID as a lone wolf or a “cash point in the sky” is [...]

By |2020-06-21T19:52:55+00:00June 21st, 2020|Aid, Development, UK|0 Comments

C19’s silver lining?

COVID-19 (C19) is throwing out the normal rule book; and causing everyone to have to think again about what they do, how they do it and why.  There has been a rapid re-purposing of almost everything, demanding a much sharper clarity of purpose.  Resources are being aligned to the [...]

By |2020-05-12T17:08:33+00:00May 12th, 2020|Covid 19, Development, UK|0 Comments

COVID-19 – How do you eat an elephant?

There is no doubt that COVID-19 is a massive change.  Many, many assumptions have been tested and found wanting; and many people are wondering what to do next, how to adapt, and what the future holds.  But there are limits to conventional programming.  Adaptive programming, long theoretical [...]

By |2020-05-02T17:36:22+00:00April 30th, 2020|Covid 19|0 Comments

Security and Stability: C19 makes us all neighbours now

Introduction Covid-19 (C19) is not just a public health issue. It will have serious consequences for stability and security in many countries, with implications both for the countries themselves and for their international partners. Existing partnerships based on assumptions about a status quo that no longer exists will [...]

By |2020-04-09T14:03:03+00:00April 9th, 2020|Covid 19|0 Comments
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