Osborne just doesn’t make the cut Ryan Gawn

As Chancellor George Osborne thanks the London Olympics for taking him off the front pages, he might want to take advantage of the breathing space to have an image makeover.

One colleague who may be able to provide some tips is his sharp-suited Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander. The former Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg, Alexander’s distinctive style and dress sense have made him something of a fashion hero in the more unlikeliest of places – Pakistan.

Sharp-suited Danny Alexander MP adorns a store front in Islamabad

As you can see, the owner of Wazir tailors in downtown Islamabad was in no doubt that Alexander trumped Osborne in the style stakes, using this timeless image taken from the 2010 Spending Review for his store front, with Osborne sadly not making the cut.

WHAM is back! And it really does Win Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan Ryan Gawn

Remember that “terrible phrase”, Winning Hearts And Minds (WHAM)? Using development programs as a tool for counterinsurgency? PRTs and Money as a Weapons System? So last decade, right? Well it’s back, and there’s some new evidence to show that it might actually work – for certain things, and when done right. From Afghanistan, of course. It’s only taken 10 years.

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Tweeting Yemen Ryan Gawn

Yemen and Arab Spring watchers will be fascinated by the Al Jazeera New Media team’s Interactive Twitter Dashboard, illustrating what is being tweeted about and where. Tracking tweets on Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, the recent Yemen spike (turquoise) is very telling following today’s attack on the presidential palace.

Fancy tackling climate change from your desk? Ryan Gawn

Avoiding the kettle – mobile phone coordination during protests Ryan Gawn

A long way from lofty Lisbon Ryan Gawn

Jay-Z’s tune has changed, but has NATO? Ryan Gawn

The 2010 NATO Summit kicks off in Lisbon today. Source: NATO

1999. The year the euro was established. Gates’ personal fortune surpassed $100bn. Napster was born. Jay-Z delighted fans with lyrics such as “More money, more cash, more hoes (what)”. NATO intervened in Yugoslavia, attacking a sovereign country for the first time. It was also the year that NATO adopted its most recent “Strategic Concept”.

And how times have changed.

I’m here in Lisbon for the 2010 NATO summit (thanks to the Atlantic Council’s Young Atlanticist Summit), and there’s a buzz in town. Lauded as one of the most crucial in the organisation’s 61 year history, 28 Heads of State will arrive today to approve the alliance’s new mission statement for the next decade – the 2010 Strategic Concept.

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