Areas of activity include: Monitoring democracy The Centre is keenly interested in improving governance in the developing world. One practical means of doing this is to provide independent teams of experienced experts to monitor elections. The Centre can call on a wide range of senior academics, ex-military personnel and diplomats. Their job is not to intervene in the field but to provide detailed reports on the conduct of the elections under review. Research programmes Current programmes include studies of European and American foreign policies; environmental and energy issues; modernisation in the new states of the EU; Islamic traditions versus demands for modernisation; reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan; and counter-terrorism, especially chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. The main focus of the CFPA is conflict resolution. Since its inception in November 2004, it has worked in over 20 countries but especially Sudan (concentrating on Darfur), Nepal, the Maldives and Zimbabwe. Seminars/conferences Ranging from small briefing sessions to larger conferences. Diplomacy The Centre conducts training for diplomats ranging from language training to media-management strategies. Reconstruction What is the best way of rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other failing states? Without stability, there can be no real development. How are military stability and financial security to be provided? Should democracy wait until both financial and military stability have been achieved, or must political reforms go hand-in-hand with advances in the economy and security? What are the best methods of rebuilding – aid via international agencies or private investment from individual states and companies? Clash of civilisations? The greatest threat in the so-called war on terror is division in the western world. To avoid the clash of civilisations becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, how can Western diplomats better understand the Islamic world? And how should Islamic leaders interpret Western policies? Equally important, how can Washington heal the rifts with Europe over the Middle East? The media Paradoxically, global media companies have almost destroyed the tradition of foreign correspondents who knew ‘their’ countries inside out. The frequent result is poor reporting, misinformation and even propaganda from conflict zones in the developing world. Equally, journalists from many countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East suffer from severe restrictions on their freedom and on their capacity to improve their skills in their chosen profession. What is the best way of enhancing media freedoms without patronising intervention? Environment, energy and development Africa is providing increasing amounts of oil to the developed world, but western trade restrictions are undermining many parts of the continent’s economy. How can energy requirements be matched with sustainable development in Africa? How can economic cooperation accompany the demands for better governance without destabilising fragile social structures? How can foreign investment promote improved management of the continent’s flora and fauna?