faith in politics
global peace and security
Background
- British and allied military presence in Afghanistan dates back to 2001 - the conflict has lasted longer than the Second World War. By November 2009, more than 230 UK armed forces personnel had lost their lives in the conflict.
- War zones and areas of political instability remain a cause for concern. These include:
- Pakistan - government troops fighting al-Qaeda-inspired forces and suffering suicide bomb attacks.
- Iran - persecution of Baha'i religious minority and western fears about nuclear weapons proliferation.
- North Korea - nuclear weapons and long range missile testing from an unstable country.
- Zimbabwe - political power sharing between Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change.
- Democratic Republic of Congo - violence and instability continue as the country struggles to emerge from civil war.
- Sri Lanka - the civil war between government forces and the Tamil Tigers ended in 2009, but reconstruction and reconciliation work will be long and difficult.
- Fiji - the military government have clamped down on the activities of the Methodist Church (the largest religious group in Fiji) and arrested their leaders.
- Many other situations around the world, including the Middle East, Burma and Sudan.
- International discussions continue around nuclear proliferation, cluster munitions and climate change.
Issues
- Global threats and challenges - the UK's National Security Strategy indicates that the security threats are no longer posed by other countries, instead they are more likely to come from challenges such as climate change, economic recession on a global scale, bad governance, competition for global resources, global militarisation and terrorism. There is strong cross-party recognition of this.
- Afghanistan - The purpose of British troops in Afghanistan has been increasingly questioned over the past year, as casualty numbers rise, with no obvious notion of what ‘success' in Afghanistan would look like. Widespread criticism and allegations of vote rigging in the 2009 presidential election have led some to ask why the west is supporting such a corrupt regime. The threat of al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist action emanating from Afghanistan may have diminished, whereas the risk from Pakistan or even from within the UK is still high. As an anti-terrorism operation, is it still the most effective thing that the government can do? Rebuilding Afghanistan and protecting the population is another reason for British forces to be there, but many are now asking whether the price - in terms of money and in lives - is too great to pay.
- Nuclear arms - Nuclear weapons proliferation is on the international agenda, as in May 2010 the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference takes place. This once-every-five-years meeting provides a framework for international disarmament negotiations. The potential for this meeting to make real progress is high, as recently the USA and Russia have agreed significant cuts in their nuclear weapons stocks. North Korea and Iran are widely believed to have acquired or wish to acquire their own nuclear capability. At the same time, the UK is in the process of renewing its own nuclear weapons system, known as Trident.
- Terrorism and civil liberties - The threat of terrorism in the UK and around the world remains high. In recent months there have been suicide bombings in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is strong political support for the work of the intelligence and security services, though there is an ongoing debate around security and civil liberties. Detention without charge for up to 42 days for terrorist suspects and the introduction of identity cards have proved to be controversial measures and remain the subject of debate.
Questions
- What are the options for the future of Afghanistan? Which is best?
- With Russia and the USA committing to reduce nuclear arsenals, what further measures should the UK be taking to secure a world free of nuclear weapons?
- Is there a trade off between security and civil liberties and, if so, where should the line be drawn?
- How can the government work to longer-term goals, such as state-building, peace-building, non-proliferation and climate change, and relate these to defence expenditure?
Further information
David Bradwell, Public Issues Policy Adviser,
The Methodist Church/Joint Public Issues Team
(Baptist, Methodist and URC)
Contact: email 
Website 
Please note: the views and analysis outlined in this paper are those of the author alone and do not constitute a statement of policy on the part of the organisation the author belongs to.
Faith in Politics: Acknowledgement and thanks
