Chapter XIIChapter XII

Britain in the Britain in the Early 21st Early 21st CenturyCentury

I. Political and Social Situation

1. Iraq War and a War Against TerrorismA. Blair allied the UK with the US in a global

war against terrorism.B. Blair, with Bush, led a coalition of military

forces in an attack on Iraq in March 2003.C. In August 2006, an alleged airplane bomb

plot threw the whole country in chaos.D. In March 2007, there was a clash between

UK and Iran.

2. Tony Blair’s Stepping Down and Gordon Brown’s New Government

A. Tony Blair stepped down from office on June 27th, 2007.

B. Blair was appointed to represent the Middle East negotiating Quartet as its envoy and he would serve as their representative to promote peace in the region.

C. Gordon Brown entered No.10 Downing Street on June 27th, 2007.

II. Science and Technology

1. Biotechnology & Sciences: regenerative medicine, brain science, post-genomic medicine and insecurity

A. Tissue engineering and stem cell therapy are working to repair or replacement of failing tissues and organs.

B. UCL’s Spinal Repair Unit gives hope to patients who have sustained spinal cord injuries.

C. Brain science includes study of a wide range of illness and conditions from mental illness to neurodegenerative disease.

D. Britain supported the development of improved diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics and other control strategies to alleviate the social and economic burden of infectious disease at home and abroad.

2. Energy and Environment

A. Aims:

a. to develop and promote ways to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives and consider the long-term implications of decisions.

b. trying to have the international cooperation to overcome environmental problems.

B. Measures:a. The British government makes a sustainable

development strategy.b. Climate change will be a key issue under the

British chairmanship of the G-8 in 2005.c. Britain is a global leader in many areas of

energy and environmental science and research, including renewable energy research and innovation.

d. The British government endeavors to deal with the implications of reduced Britain oil, gas and coal production.

3. Space & Planetary Science

A. Three primary purposes:

a. to expand knowledge in astronomy. Planetary, and environmental science

b. to create opportunities for commercial exploitation of satellite systems

c. to advance key public services

B. Achievements: a. Britain is in full partnership with international

space organizations such as NASA and ESA on current and future projects.

b. Britain is committed to science and engineering in the areas of microsatellites, Earth observation and navigation, and space science and exploration.

c. British scientists and engineers play a leading role in many exciting space science missions.

d. Britain has a critical role in future plans to investigate mysteries of the universe.

4. Information and Communications TechnologyA. Britain’s ICT sector is internationally recognized

and respected for its entrepreneurship and innovation.

B. The British telecom industry currently accounts for 5% of the global market.

C. Britain is the second largest consumer market for telecom in Europe.

D. Britain is an innovative world leader in this sector, being the first to offer data, voicemail and SMS.

E. The British software industry accounts for 3% of Britain’s GDP.

F. The development of mobile services has been a major Britain success.

G. Britain is ranked No.1 in Europe for semiconductor design and is home to facilities established by most of the world’s major electronics companies.

H. Cognitive systems and neural networks are recognized as key enabling technologies for the future of all Britain’s industry.

I. Grid computing is funded by the British Office of Science and Technology and its Department of Trade and Industry and is managed by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council.

5. Nanotechnology

A. Areas of interest include photonic crystals and integrated circuit, quantum information processing and quantum structure electronic devices and semiconductor nanostructures.

B. Optoelectronics are the flagship of the nanotechnology sector in Britain, followed by optical communications.

C. Britain is internationally strong in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and has been on the forefront of drug delivery, working with drug polymer conjugates, nanoparticles and micelles.

D. Materials account for 70% of the GNO of industrialized nations.

III. GDP and Employment

1. UK’s economy has been developed in a curving way.

2. The trend in the employment rate is broadly flat and the rate in the unemployment rate continues to increase.

3. The trend in the inactivity rate continues to fall.

The EndThe End

On March the 23th, naval forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards captured 15 British sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf and they declared the British soldiers had violated Iranian waters.

After 13-day standoff Iran released 15 British soldiers.

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Tony Blair

• He was born on May 6,1953 in Edinburgh.• He studied law at Oxford, and became a barrister.• He was elected British Prime Minister on May 2,

1997 and re-elected on June 8,2001.• On May 6, 2005 he won his third term.• His second term was dominated by foreign policy

issues, notably the “ war on terror”.• The war in Iraq and political scandals eroded Brito

ns’ faith in the Blair government. Back

Blair’s duties in the Middle East• mobilizing international assistance to the

Palestinians• helping secure international support for

the needs of the Palestinian Authority.• focusing on bolstering the rule of law, and

working out plans to promote Palestinian economic development

• working with a small term of experts based in Jerusalem

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Gordon Brown

• Born in 1951.

• He has been the MP since 1983.

• The party’s opposition spokesperson for Treasury and Economic Affairs from 1992

• Chancellor of the Exchequer---the UK’s Finance Minister in May 1997

• On June 24, 2007 he addressed the Labor Leadership Conference. Back

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Our Energy Future’s Creating a Low Carbon Economy

• Time: February 2002

• Four clear objectives: cut carbon dioxide emissions, maintain reliable energy supplies, promote competitive energy markets and ensure homes affordably heated.

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