Additionally, in the last few years Britain seems to have lost its global influence because of the alliances within the EU on the one hand and the US-Russia rapprochement on the other. Or maybe this is just an impression, one which exists even among this country’s Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
In his first major speech as foreign secretary, William Hague said British foreign policy must become more active and energetic. The first move in this direction will probably come on the EU level. The current government believes the UK’s influence in Europe has waned and that this situation is good for neither the UK nor the EU.
There is a direct connection between the EU’s current economic crisis and its loss of influence in some regions it had economic advantages in historically. Besides, the EU had hoped that there would be a strong rivalry between the US and Russia and that Brussels would benefit from this rivalry by filling the power vacuum it may cause. However, nothing indicates that this will happen soon as Russia and the US have preferred to organize their rivalry on a bilateral basis. That’s why they prioritize their bilateral relations with the EU member countries instead of developing their relations with the EU as a whole. As a result, the EU can’t manage to become a player that can count on the global balances, especially because of the omnipresence of the US and Russia.
It appears that the new British foreign policy will try to reach the world through the EU. That’s why the UK can’t allow the EU to become an introverted organization that keeps its distance from the US and which disdains Russia. Instead, the EU must be better integrated into the world system and look for ways to stimulate its political influence globally. The US or Russia may not be very disturbed by the UK’s new foreign policy approach because the US has always preferred a subordinated and accommodating EU and Russia wouldn’t want to have a strong, rival union at its doorstep.
The success of Britain’s new approach depends on the results the government will get on several tests. First, it has to decide whether or not to increase its support of the US operations in Afghanistan. The second test concerns its stance over Iran and the Caucasus. It must be careful not to irritate Russia in the Caucasus, and it will probably use its Iran policy to manage this. Third, there is the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Both sides of this conflict have always been suspicious about Britain’s real intentions. Maybe that’s why London may prefer to launch its new policy initiative from another part of this region, such as Cyprus. It’s quite interesting that the destabilizing actions of this island’s Greek government and Israel are systematically denounced by the British media nowadays.
Both the global and European levels of the new British policy will affect Turkey one way or the other. It’s often expected that the UK will use its weight within the EU to promote Turkish membership. If this policy succeeds, it will be a victory against France and Germany. However, one must keep in mind that the UK’s interest in Turkey has not always brought good results for the latter. So if the British government intends to introduce a clearer, more focused and effective foreign policy, it must first think of confidence-building measures in regions where it wants to be active. Let’s hope that this new period will be beneficial for more than one player.
