Why Britain needs a new foreign policy
“The last few years have been disastrous for British foreign policy, and no one is held to account. The edifice of human rights law and norms, which took half a century of careful work to construct, has been undermined by those who claim to defend it. Maybe 500,000 people have died in Iraq and the rage that fuels terrorism against us has been amply stoked. Meanwhile, the US/UK invasion of Afghanistan, which was legitimate under Article 51 of the UN charter (self-defence), is now risking failure, because too few troops were deployed in the first place. This was very evident from the beginning.”
“We are so inured to the rhetoric of anti-terrorism and macho posturing about building democracy while fostering chaos, that it is hard to imagine an alternate direction for British foreign policy. But it is available, as it always was. This alternative lies in consistency of application of international law and a robust defence (including intervention when necessary, as in Kosovo and Sierra Leone) of those under assault or oppression. It lies in remedy to the “diplomatic deficit” whereby those affected by our—and others’—foreign policy have no capacity to influence it while those in whose name policy is carried out—us, the public—also have scant means to affect it. Together, such changes will produce a more just and therefore more stable world. “
“The whole discourse of what is important in foreign policy tends to work off a US agenda: Iran, North Korea etc which, while important, attract diplomatic energy to the detriment of other worthwhile issues. A distinctive and positive British foreign policy is possible, for instance on Israel-Palestine, or the Horn of Africa, which in part through international neglect is now descending once more into chaos and war. In little-noticed Kosovo, the UK is playing a very constructive role in bringing that last piece of the Balkans puzzle to stability. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK has a unique ability to improve the credibility of that damaged institution, including by encouraging its reform. In the Security Council and more broadly, the world needs an international system that gives a legitimate voice to all those affected by others’ foreign policy (that means not just states). “
Who says so? Carne Ross who was a member of the British Foreign Office from 1989 to 2004, when he resigned after giving evidence to the Butler review. He served as head of the Middle East Peace Process section (1995-97), speechwriter to the Foreign Secretary (1997-98), and First Secretary (Political) at the UK Mission to the UN, New York, where he was responsible for the Middle East, and in particular Iraq (1998-2002).
The quotes are from his written evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs in its enquiry on the Foreign Office White Paper “Active diplomacy for a changing world – the UK’s International Priorities”.