Charlie Edwards
Senior Researcher
Charlie Edwards writes, lectures and consults on national security, resilience, defence and intelligence. He works with international institutions, government departments, companies, and NGOs. He is a regular commentator in the national and international media.
- On the Brink My reading list is growing by the day. But I've spotted the following collection of essays by emergency-response experts representing corporations, local chambers of commerce, federal and local government, academia, and humanitarian-aid organization. The collection is here (pdf)Will post anything useful... continue reading on 6th October 2008 in Resilient Nation
- Ike: Recovery That Works From the The New York Sun - excellent example of bottom up activity in motion...HOUSTON — Perhaps the most salient moment during Hurricane Ike came Saturday morning shortly before 8 a.m. when officials delivered two news conferences. From Washington, President Bush explained that Ike was a serious storm, that Secretary Chertoff of the Department of Homeland Security would fly to Houston when conditions permitted, and that the federal government was on the lookout for price gouging, a... continue reading on 5th October 2008 in Resilient Nation
- Gulf Coast Recovery Project Interesting work being done on the Gulf Coast Recovery Project by the Mercatus Center http://www.mercatus.org/ResearchAreaLanding.aspx?Category=186 continue reading on 5th October 2008 in Resilient Nation Comments (1)
- Rebels with a cause From North Norfolk News: Flood wardens in the north Norfolk village that was hit hardest by last year's storm surge have left emergency planners reeling after announcing they intend to go it alone in a bid to protect their community. Should another flooding emergency occur in Walcott, near Bacton, the wardens have said they will act independently of county's civil contingency response teams in an effort to “care for and protect” locals in the way they see fit. The newly... continue reading on 3rd October 2008 in Resilient Nation
- Social Media Social media will be one of the big themes of Resilient Nation. As Clay Shirky has pointed out before - technology has become socially interesting. Citizens and communities may still rely on government agencies to help them in a time of crisis, but there is now lots of evidence that they are doing their own things as well - thanks to Web 2.0 stuff. The point is not that this is making agencies irrelevant - rather it is helping communities become increasingly more resilient - through... continue reading on 25th September 2008 in Resilient Nation Comments (1)
- 40,000 job losses? Beware the stat Early this morning Patrick Hosking, banking and finance editor of the Times newspaper, told Sky News that a senior banker estimated that 40,000 jobs would be lost in the LloydsTSB takeover deal with HBOS. Newspaper headlines & broadcasters duly ran the story. But where did the figure, 40,000 come from? At the time of the interview it could only have been an intelligent guess by the senior banker; at worst, a wild stab in the dark. But doing some lite research it's possible to come up with... continue reading on 18th September 2008 Comments (2)
- UN international day of democracy With only a few minutes to spare before a new day is upon us we should mention that today, Monday 15th September, is the UN international day of democracy and, unless I’m much mistaken, this country decided against celebrating the day in style. However that's not to say others didn't. According to the Daily Times, Pakistan celebrated the occasion with zeal and fever, while all Canadians (especially those eligible to vote) were wished a happy International Day of Democracy by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. continue reading on 15th September 2008
- The Regional Resilience equation Great slide on regional resilience from a presentation by Eric Holdeman. Answers on a postcard to hello@demos.co.uk! continue reading on 15th September 2008 in Resilient Nation
- Another good resource http://disasterrecoveryresources.net continue reading on 14th September 2008 in Resilient Nation
- You've got a friend in me On the anniversary of 9/11 the German Marshall Fund have published their annual transatlantic trends. There's some interesting stuff in the report. Europeans not only want Obama, but think he will improve transatlantic relations too; while a majority of Europeans think NATO is essential. Europeans identify climate change as a priority but Americans believe the Middle East should be the focus of their attention. The situation in Iraq, the top issue in American foreign policy, is largely absent from the transatlantic agenda. continue reading on 11th September 2008 in Transatlantic Futures Comments (1)