BLAIR 1997-2007 CHAPTER 24

Question 1

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• Many people hoped that the New Labour government would transform Britain’s role within the EU.
• Blair had already called for Britain to ?

Answer 1

develop a new, more positive, relationship with its European partners, for example opting back into the European Social Chapter.

Question 2

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• Throughout his ten years as prime minister, Blair had a high personal standing and good relationships with other European leaders - this allowed Britain to ?

Answer 2

take a leading role in negotiations for EU enlargement and in the discussions about the Treaty of Nice of 2001, which extended the institutions of the EU.

Question 3

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• Blair was especially enthusiastic about strengthening the role of the EU in the wider world. Blair took the lead in European initiatives on issues such as

Answer 3

climate change, world trade, and in aiming to make poverty history’ by reforming aid to Africa.

Question 3

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• Blair was also enthusiastic about the possibility of Britain joining the European currency, the Euro - but, Gordon Brown, as chancellor of the exchequer, was

Answer 3

far less keen on this and set up a number of economic conditions that had to be met before Britain would give up the pound, they were so stringent, they were unlikely to be met.

Question 4

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• By 2007 the European Union had expanded to 27 states and was involved in negotiations with even more new applicants for membership, including Turkey, Croatia, Serbia and the Ukraine. This rapid enlargement had

led to 2 discussions

Answer 4

forced many changes in the nature of the EU and its methods of reaching decisions. It also presented new and difficult challenges for British foreign policy.
What had started out as ‘The Six, an economic community dominated by the partnership between France and West Germany, was now becoming a much more political organisation in which the states of the New Europe, the former communist states of the USSR, were bound to play a prominent role.
British policymakers had to decide how much Britain would actually be at the heart of Europe.

Question 5

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

Britain was also at the centre of efforts to develop a common European strategy against the threat of global terrorism after the events of 11 September 2001.
Blair tried to make Britain

Answer 5

a bridge between Europe and the United States, above all in action against Iraq in 2002 and 2003, but also towards the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and towards Iran.

Question 6

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

• By the time Blair resigned as prime minister in 2007, his personal prestige in Europe was still high and he still enjoyed excellent relationships with the leaders of other European countries including

Answer 6

the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and with the new Europe:

Question 7

ATTITUDES TO EUROPE

But there were few concrete achievements.

4 ‘achievements’

Answer 7

Progress on climate change and aid in Africa was frustratingly slow.
Britain seemed unlikely to join the Euro.
Attempts to reform the workings of the EU ended in the rejection of a proposed new constitution.
A new, diluted scheme for reform was finally presented in the form of the Lisbon Treaty, at the end of 2007, but this aroused considerable controversy and there was no certainty that all 27 states would ratify the treaty.

Question 7

THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH THE USA

New Labour was keen on maintaining the ‘special relationship with the United States. When Blair was elected in 1997, Bill Clinton was the President of the United States. There were a number of similarities between the two governments, both being influenced by the ideas of the Third Way. New Labour figures had ?

Answer 7

forged even closer links with the US Democrats after 1992 to learn how a left-of-centre party could be electorally successful.

Question 8

THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH THE USA

After the failure of the European Union and the United Nations to deal with the Yugoslavian crisis in the 1990s, Blair was utterly convinced that it was essential to ?

2 beliefs of blair about the US

Answer 8

keep the United States involved in European affairs and to make full use of NATO to defend the new world order that existed at the end of the Cold War.
He believed that it was vitally important to maintain Britain’s special relationship with the United States and that Britain had a key role in bringing closer together US and European policy.

Question 9

THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH THE USA

The US Democrats lost the presidential election of 2000; the new Republican president was George W. Bush. Although it might have appeared to be likely that Blair would have less in common with Bush than he did with Clinton, the two men

did what but ehat did it mean for policy

Answer 9

developed a close relationship, especially with regard to meeting the threat of global terrorism.
However, this also led to accusations that British foreign policy became too dominated by US priorities during Blair’s premiership.

Question 10

THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH THE USA

Blair firmly believed in liberal interventionism to prevent the recurrence of massacres and ethnic cleansing that had been seen in the Yugoslavian civil war.

what was liberal interventionism?

Question 11

YUGOSLAVIA AND SIERRA LEONE

what did blair do in yugoslavia?

1999

Answer 11

When the final phase of the Balkan wars began as a result of Serbian attacks on Kosovo, Blair devoted his main diplomatic efforts to persuading a reluctant President Clinton to back military action against Serbia.

In 1999, a prolonged NATO bombing campaign against Serbia forced Milosevic into pulling his forces out of Kosovo. This early success in the Balkans moulded Blair’s thinking and did much to shape his later policies.

Question 12

YUGOSLAVIA AND SIERRA LEONE

what did blair achieve in sierra leone?

Answer 12

In 2000, when rebel forces in the civil war in Sierra Leone threatened to take over the capital city, Freetown, the British government sent armed forces.
Initially this was to evacuate foreigners, but once there, British forces supported the United Nations peacekeepers in securing the capital and helped bring about the end of the civil war a year later.

Question 13

AFGHANISTAN 2

On 7 October 2001, Britain joined the United States in a military campaign to overthrow the Taliban and expel Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. This was supported by both NATO and the United Nations. Initially it was hoped that

what was hoped but what actually happened?

Answer 13

a new Afghanistan might quickly develop into a modern democratic state and again show the benefits of liberal interventionism; however, there was no instant pacification of the country and the leaders of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda escaped.

Question 14

AFGHANISTAN 1

Before 9/11, the United States had felt invulnerable from outside attack, so the events of 9/11 came as a shock.
Almost immediately, preparations began for NATO forces to

do what?

Answer 14

invade Afghanistan, where the Taliban government had allowed Al-Qaeda to use the country as a base for training and planning terrorist operations.

Question 15

THE WAR ON TERROR

Later military interventions to support the war on terror proved more controversial and their success is harder to judge.
The war on terror began after the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September

which was?

Answer 15

On 11 September 2001, four civilian airliners were hijacked from US airports by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Two destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and a third hit the Pentagon in Washington. A fourth aircraft, United 93, crashed before reaching its intended target. Almost 3000 people died and the event caused immense shock and outrage across much of the world.

Question 16

AFGHANISTAN 3

A new democratic regime was established but progress towards economic and political development was slow. Furthermore, from 2002, attention was drawn towards

where? what did it mean

Answer 16

Iraq; critics argued that this allowed the Taliban to regroup in 2006 and 2007.

Question 17

IRAQ 1

• After the First Gulf War of 1990 to 1991, Saddam Hussein had been contained by economic sanctions and by ‘no-fly zones’ enforced by NATO air patrols.
  But by 2002 there were increasing fears of the threat Saddam might represent to the West.

what? 2 fears about iraq

Answer 17

The first fear was that Iraq might link up with Al-Qaeda and provide a new base for terrorism, in the way that Afghanistan had been before 2001. The second was that Iraq might develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Question 18

IRAQ 2

• A United Nations resolution in November 2002 had forced Saddam Hussein to allow weapons inspectors back into Iraq. However, by early 2003 the USA believed that

Answer 18

Saddam Hussein was not properly cooperating.

Question 19

IRAQ 3

There was a dispute within the United Nations about whether this first resolution had given the international community permission to use military force in these circumstances. In order to reach agreement,

what did Blair do?

Answer 19

made strenuous efforts to win over his European allies by pushing for a second UN resolution but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Question 20

IRAQ 4

• The invasion of Iraq was launched by American forces in March 2003 backed by a …?

Answer 20

‘coalition of the willing including Britain, Poland and Italy among others.

Question 21

IRAQ 5

what did blair’s critics and supporters claim?

Answer 21

• Blair’s critics claimed that he knew Bush was going to invade Iraq anyway, that he agreed with Bush’s aim of regime change and was simply using UN resolutions as a way of bringing Europe round.
• Blair’s defenders argue that he was genuinely convinced about the dangers of WMD and that he was correct in his analysis of the need to ensure that the United States continued to be part of the international world order and not retreat to unilateral action or isolationism.

Question 22

IRAQ 6

• Military victory and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was complete by April 2003, but there was no neat or decisive end to the war.

why

Answer 22

British troops found themselves bogged down in a long struggle.
Although by 2006 there were improvements in the security situation and the Iraqi government had become more stable, few of the expectations when the war was launched in 2003 had been proved right.

Question 23

IRAQ 7

British involvement in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 had been extremely controversial. .

give 3 reasons why

Answer 23

• Four ministers, including the foreign secretary, Robin Cook resigned over the issue.
• A Stop the War march through London in February 2003 had attracted more than a million people.
• The failure to find evidence of WMD, which had been used to justify the invasion, heightened criticism

Question 24

IRAQ 10 (final)

When Tony Blair left Downing Street in 2007, it was still too early to make a definitive judgement on the success or failure of the Iraq War. But it was apparent at this point that the war had

negative and positive aspect of the war?

Answer 24

• damaged Blair’s reputation, and that of Britain.
• On the other hand, a democratic government existed in Iraq instead of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and it could still be hoped that this government might have a stable and successful future in the long term.

Question 24

IRAQ 8

By May 2003 the British government was being accused of having exaggerated the threat. In addition, as the war dragged on, British and US troops were accused of

Answer 24

mistreating Iraqi prisoners of war.

(Abu Gharib Prison)

Question 25

IRAQ 9

By the end of 2007, Britain had achieved only very limited and partial success in Iraq, well short of the ambitious goals set out in 2003. In any case, troop reductions in Iraq were ???

Answer 25

countered by the need to reinforce the British war effort in Afghanistan, which also remained insecure.

Question 26

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007

In 1997 the New Labour government had set out a clear foreign policy strategy including:

4 points

Answer 26

• making the United Kingdom a leading player in Europe
• fostering a people’s diplomacy to increase respect, understanding and goodwill for Britain
• to supply an ethical content to foreign policy
• making Britain a leading partner in a world community of nations

Question 27

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007 1

Blair’s involvement in Iraq had also undoubtedly damaged the reputation of his government within Britain.

why?

Answer 27

His ideal of liberal interventionism was discredited; it would be much harder for a British government to convince the public of the need for military intervention in future.

Question 28

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007 2

Some argued that not intervening would ensure that Britain could concentrate on defending its own interests; others raised the possibility that ?

Answer 28

not being willing to play such an influential role in world affairs in future might mean that Britain’s position in the world would decline.

Question 29

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007 3

The war in Iraq also had other implications for Britain position in the world. Blair had made efforts to mediate in the Middle East in the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis, both through direct diplomacy and through working with the EU. But while he had a genuine commitment to the peace process,

what made it difficult for him to do. this?

Answer 29

the Iraq War, and his close relationship with Bush, made this difficult. Britain was not seen as an independent and fair judge of international disputes.

Question 30

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007 4

Similarly, the ‘special relationship with the United States had undoubtedly been strengthened, but Britain’s position in Europe remained ambivalent.

why? give 3 reasons

Answer 30

• Britain did not join the Euro on its launch in 1999 and seemed as far away from joining as ever in 2007.
• Much of the national press remained hostile to all things Europe.
• And deep divisions between the European countries who had opposed intervention and Britain were opened up by the war in Iraq.

Question 31

BRITAIN’S POSITION IN THE WORLD BY 2007

Moreover, while Britain had played a major role in foreign affairs between 1997 and 2007, some believed that it had so obviously been dominated by the United States that it merely confirmed that Britain was

what

Answer 31

very much the junior partner in the ‘special relationship.’

Question 32

SUMMARY - end of the course

By 2007 it was clear that Britain remained a major power in worldwide affairs.
However,

Answer 32

its future role and ongoing relationships with the United States, with Europe and with the rest of the world, would continue to be debated