Home Secretary John Reid has rather put his foot in it with this comment about how foreign policy is made:
“It is, I think, completely misconceived to suggest that we should change our foreign policy because it might cause some people to take up arms against us”.
Two key dimensions are at play when a government sets its foreign policy – the underlying principles, and the situation on the ground.
The principles underlying any foreign policy should remain relatively static over time. For example, British foreign policy is based on a combination of national interest, the promotion of trade, democracy and, since Robin Cook’s term as Foreign Minister, has certain ethical dimensions.
However, how those principles are put into practice depends substantially on the actions of others. Not just states, but non-state actors such as terrorist groups. British foreign policy can never exist in a vacuum, and in order for it to be effective, it must react to the world around it. The world is constantly in flux, and therefore, the British government must continually reasess its foreign policy, and the impact it is having on the world.
To be honest, I think that John Reid was trying to say that we shouldn’t let terrorists dictate the core principles which underly our foreign policy – particularly the ethical principles.
But, what he actually said was that we shouldn’t change our foreign policy because of what others do.
Thankfully, he’s in the Home Office, where tact isn’t really called for. Rather than the world of international diplomacy, where every word matters.
since Robin Cook’s term as Foreign Minister, has certain ethical dimensions.
Snigger! This went out the window around July 1997 when Cook realised that British foreign policy was inextricably linked to flogging guns.