How Did New Labour's External Relations Successful
To what extent and for what reasons did New Labour succeed in introducing a new and distinctive set of values to the conduct of Britain’s external relations between 1997 and 2010?
Introduction
As John Rentoul has observed in his biography of Tony Blair, “Prime Ministers always run their own foreign policy” (Rentoul, 2001: 420). This was certainly true of Tony Blair and New Labour. That itself is a reason why Britain’s external relations in the shape of New Labour’s foreign policy can only be properly understood by reference to the foreign policy philosophy espoused by Blair and his response to world events during his leadership over three terms in office. In New Labour’s third term (2005-10) the interventionist policy that dominated the …show more content…
The focus of the Labour 1997 general election campaign on Europe was one where the Labour manifesto promised to “give Britain the leadership in Europe which Britain and Europe need” (Labour-party, 1997). It was important for the Labour party to highlight its commitment to Europe, in contrast to the tensions within the Conservative party. Europe apart, however, the 1997 election campaign did not highlight significant differences between the Labour and Conservative parties. There was an expectation that there would be “considerable continuity” in foreign affairs in the event of a change of government (Wickham-Jones, 2000: …show more content…
Archive of Labour Party Manifestos. [online]. Available at: http://www.labour-party.org.uk/manifestos/1997/1997-labour-manifesto.shtml [Accessed on 7 December 2014].
Rentoul, J., 2001. Tony Blair, Prime Minister London: Little, Brown and Company.
Riddell, P. 2005. Europe. In: A. Seldon and D. Kavanagh, ed. 2005. The Blair Effect 2001-5, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ch.16.
Wallace, W. 2005. The collapse of British foreign policy, International Affairs, 82(1), pp. 53-68.
Wallace, W. and Phillips, C. 2009. Reassessing the special relationship, International Affairs, 85(2), pp. 263-284.
Whitman, G. R. The Clam After the Storm? Foreign and Security Policy from Blair to Brown, Parliamentary Affairs, 63(4), pp. 834-848.
Wickham-Jones, M. 2000. Labour’s trajectory in foreign affairs: the moral crusade of a pivotal power? In: R. Little and M. Wickham-Jones, ed. 2000. New Labours Foreign Policy, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Ch.1.
Williams, P. 2010. The Rise and Fall of the ‘Ethical Dimension’: Presentation and Practice in New Labour’s Foreign Policy, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 15(1), pp.
Introduction
As John Rentoul has observed in his biography of Tony Blair, “Prime Ministers always run their own foreign policy” (Rentoul, 2001: 420). This was certainly true of Tony Blair and New Labour. That itself is a reason why Britain’s external relations in the shape of New Labour’s foreign policy can only be properly understood by reference to the foreign policy philosophy espoused by Blair and his response to world events during his leadership over three terms in office. In New Labour’s third term (2005-10) the interventionist policy that dominated the …show more content…
The focus of the Labour 1997 general election campaign on Europe was one where the Labour manifesto promised to “give Britain the leadership in Europe which Britain and Europe need” (Labour-party, 1997). It was important for the Labour party to highlight its commitment to Europe, in contrast to the tensions within the Conservative party. Europe apart, however, the 1997 election campaign did not highlight significant differences between the Labour and Conservative parties. There was an expectation that there would be “considerable continuity” in foreign affairs in the event of a change of government (Wickham-Jones, 2000: …show more content…
Archive of Labour Party Manifestos. [online]. Available at: http://www.labour-party.org.uk/manifestos/1997/1997-labour-manifesto.shtml [Accessed on 7 December 2014].
Rentoul, J., 2001. Tony Blair, Prime Minister London: Little, Brown and Company.
Riddell, P. 2005. Europe. In: A. Seldon and D. Kavanagh, ed. 2005. The Blair Effect 2001-5, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ch.16.
Wallace, W. 2005. The collapse of British foreign policy, International Affairs, 82(1), pp. 53-68.
Wallace, W. and Phillips, C. 2009. Reassessing the special relationship, International Affairs, 85(2), pp. 263-284.
Whitman, G. R. The Clam After the Storm? Foreign and Security Policy from Blair to Brown, Parliamentary Affairs, 63(4), pp. 834-848.
Wickham-Jones, M. 2000. Labour’s trajectory in foreign affairs: the moral crusade of a pivotal power? In: R. Little and M. Wickham-Jones, ed. 2000. New Labours Foreign Policy, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Ch.1.
Williams, P. 2010. The Rise and Fall of the ‘Ethical Dimension’: Presentation and Practice in New Labour’s Foreign Policy, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 15(1), pp.