Monday, June 17, 2024

UK

Wanted – a foreign policy for people, planet and peace

“A forward-looking approach must involve refusing to get involved in a costly new arms race – and see Labour seek to engage with the majority of the world to advance the causes of peace, self-determination and social progress.”

By Matt Willgress

A column today on what approach the new Government should take to foreign policy must lead with Palestine – and recognise Britain has been increasingly isolated on Gaza, in terms of both the Government and Labour leadership responses, at a time when UK weapons are making possible what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regards as potentially a plausible case of genocide.

The priority must then be to seek to shift the new Government’s approach, not only to support an immediate and lasting ceasefire – but also to address the fact that Israel continually flouts international law.

The reality is it will continue to do so, unless there are consequences for its actions. ‘Labour & Palestine’ argues that consequences concretely “means an immediate arms embargo, leading to a full cessation of arms trade if Israel fails to comply with international law”

It also means joining the majority of countries internationally – including Ireland, Spain and Norway recently– in immediately recognising a Palestinian state, as voted for by the UN Assembly.

This is the response needed based on putting people, their rights and international justice first – rather than slavish adherence to the US’ agenda.

It is widely known Labour’s leadership has consulted with US government figures over their stance on Gaza and, as a former Shadow Minister said in response, “We don’t have an independent foreign policy, a Labour policy… We have outsourced it to the US administration.”

But this is also the case way beyond the issue of Palestine, and this ‘Atlantacist’ approach refuses to recognise the world is a very different place to 25 years ago.

We live in a time of multiple crises globally, and the foreign policy agenda of a Government needs to address these seriously and in a different way to the the US position, recognising that numerous economies and economic blocs are growing to be both more independent of the US and weightier in the global economy.

In response to this, the US Empire – which remains in comparative decline economically – is lashing out through permanent interventions to try and re-assert dominance in different parts of the world. But it is failing – as Latin America shifting to the Left again and the isolation of Israel at the UN illustrate.

It is because, they are desperate to continue subordination to the US’ agenda, that the ruling-class has sought to lock-in Britain’s high and rising levels of military spending for years – and the current Labour leadership has backed this, whilst avoiding any serious discussion internally on the issue.

Yet spending levels in this area are incredibly high already, with 2021 figures making the UK the fourth highest spending country globally, and highest in Western Europe. Then in 2022, Liz Truss pledged to spend 3 per cent of GDP on this area by 2030. Since then, both Labour and the Tories have committed to increasing it to 2.5%.

Furthermore, renewing Trident nuclear weapons will cost at least £205 billion but Labour’s leadership has signed-up to this even though they regularly say the money available in Government will be extremely limited.

With the climate catastrophe, the starving of resources for public services and the cost-of-living emergency needing to be addressed, these militarist public spending priorities will be a disaster both electorally and in human terms.

Instead, a forward-looking approach must involve refusing to get involved in a costly new arms race – and see Labour seek to engage with the majority of the world to advance the causes of peace, self-determination and social progress.

The disastrous alternative is to continue to slavishly follow the US – at a time when Trump may return to the Presidency – at great cost to people, planet and peace.


  • This article was originally published by Labour Briefing.

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