Topic 6: FP (1997-2007) Flashcards
1
Q
4
Describe Blair’s aims on FP
A
- Make UK a leading player in Europe
- Foster a people’s diplomacy to increase respect for Britain
- Make Britain leading partner in achieiving international progressive goals
- 1997, Robin Cook (FS) declared that Britain’s FP would be ethical, human rights respected and commercial interests protected
2
Q
3
Describe Blair’s aims on Europe
A
- Aimed for more positive relationship after toxicity under Tory administration
- e.g. opting back into social chapter
- Promised to place Britain at centre of EU
3
Q
6
Describe Blair’s leadership on Europe
A
- Self-proclaimed ‘most pro-Europe Prime Minister ever’
- Strong relationship with French President Chirac at Saint-Malo Agreement 1998
- Ideological ties with German President, Schroder’s social democracy
- High personal standing permitted Britain to take leading role in enlargment negotiations and Treaty of Nice 2001
- 2004, signed European constitution (though never ratified)
- Successive landslide NL victories isolated eurosceptic wing
4
Q
4
Describe limits to Blair’s leadership on Europe
A
- Relations with Chirac and Schroeder cooled due to CAP and Iraq
- Closest relationships were conservatives - José María Aznar
(Spain) and Silvio Berlusconi (Italy) - Blair advised to distance himself from controversial Berlusconi
- Yet demonstrated Blair’s willingness to deliver policy, rather than conforming to ideological constraints
5
Q
5
Describe Blair’s handling of the Euro
A
- Blair enthusiastic
- Brown opposition
- Missed honeymoon period to capitalise on personal popularity to join eurozone
- Introduced Jan 1999 with no British participation
- 2001 conservatives - ‘save the pound’
6
Q
3
Describe Brown’s opposition to the euro
A
- Brown’s controlling of economy allowed him to enforce strict 5 tests for membership
- Blair hoped for entry at later date
- Yet by 2004, popular vote would have become de facto referendum on Blair’s credibility
7
Q
3
Describe the special relationship in relation to Europe under Blair
A
- Blair hoped that Britain would act as Atlantic bridge
- Reinforced suspicion of a fundamental lack of British Europeanism
- 1998-2001 Anglo-American bombing raids on Iraq criticised by European counterparts
8
Q
3
Describe the impact of the Iraq War on EU relations
A
- March 2003, Chirac announced France would veto any second UN resolution to British-American proposals
- Blair’s desire to legitimise American military policy in EU disintegrated
- Relations only improved when Schroeder and Chirac stepped down in 2005 and 2007 respectively
9
Q
3
Describe Britain’s global role under Blair through Europe
A
- Blair took lead on European initiatives to climate change, world change and reform to African aid to make ‘poverty history’
- At centre of central European global terrorism strategy following 9/11
- Aimed to promote Israeli-Palestine and peaceful Iran relations through EU
10
Q
3
Describe Blair’s signing of the Social Chapter
A
- Signed Social Chapter upon Labour taking office
- In line with Labour’s promotion of protecting socio-economic rights
- Guaranteed rights in employment, housing, education, etc
11
Q
5
Describe the expansion of the EU (1997-2007)
A
- Accession negotiations for 6 former communist bloc nations during Britain’s Council Presidency in 1998
- Blair made serious miscalculation in not taking up option of imposing restrictions on free movement access for new member state workers
- 2007, Blair imposed temporary transitional restrictions when Romania and Bulgaria joined
- 2007, promoted Turkish membership who had then-liberal reformist PM Erdogan
- By 2007, had expanded to 27 members + applications from Serbia, Croatia
12
Q
4
Describe the impact of EU enlargement (1997-2007)
A
- Embraced by both Conservatives and Labour as enlargement reduced likelihood of federal structure
- Broke Franco-German political domination
- British policymakers had to decide how important Britain’s role would be in ‘New Europe’
- UKIP rose from 2 MEP seats (1999) to 12 (2004)
13
Q
4
Describe European Secuirty and Defence policy (1997-2007)
A
- Saint-Malo Agreement 1998 saw Britain and France lay foundations for common security/defence policy
- agreed to advance creation of a European military force capable to autonomous action
- Marked initial productive relationship with Chirac
- Britain had previously been reluctant in extending EU soveriegnty to defence for fear of resulting NATO complications
14
Q
4
Describe Blair’s handling of CAP
A
- During 2002 CAP negotiations, Chirac told Blair that ‘you have been very rude and I have never been spoken to like that before’
- Blair understood that any progress on CAP reform required giving concessions on rebate
- Dec 2005, outmanoeuvred on European Council meeting when he accepted modest rebate cut despite no formal agreement on reducing CAP
- Unable to break German-French duopoly
15
Q
2
Describe the positives in Britain’s position in Europe by 2007
A
- Personal prestige was high
- Enjoyed strong relationships with Merkel and Sarkozy and with ‘New Europe’
‘New Europe’ - new central/eastern member states
16
Q
4
Describe the negatives in Britain’s position in Europe by 2007
A
- Progress on African aid and climate change frustratingly slow
- Constitutional failures
- Biggest failure was change in British public attitude from embracement in 1997 to growing populist scepticism in 2007
- National press continued to be hostile
17
Q
4
Describe EU Constitutional failures under Blair
A
- Attempted reform of EU technocracy and EU Constitution introduction stalled
- Dutch and French rejections of proposed constitutional treaty in 2005 led to dilution in Lisbon Treaty signed in 2007
- Saved Blair from holding planned ratification referendum
- Almost certainly would have been lost
18
Q
6
Describe Blair’s constructive attitude towards the Special Relationship with Clinton
A
- Ideological ties with third-way Clinton
- Close ties between New Labour aides and Democrat advisors on how to achieve electoral success
- Close relationship on tackling global terrorism threat
- Robin Cook (FS) stated that the desire to be the clear No.1 ally of the US was the ‘fixed pole’ of Tony Blair’s FP
- Blair convinced that US and NATO involvement was necessary in European affairs after failures of EU and UN diplomacy to prevent Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001)
- Persuaded Clinton to speak at 2002 annual Labour conference
19
Q
3
Describe Blair’s strained Special Relationship with Clinton
A
- Blair alienated by reveal of Clinton’s sexual discretions in 1998
- Kosovo Crisis 1999 strained relations
- Accusations British FP had become dominated by US
20
Q
5
Describe Blair’s attitude towards the Special Relationship with Bush
A
- Al Gore, another ideological soulmate, lost in 2000
- Believed he could tame Bush’s aggressive tendencies
- Disagreements kept in private
- Bush grateful for Blair support but relied more heavily on key advisors
- Blair-Bush axis not partnership of equals - US dominated
21
Q
2
Describe the impact of 9/11
A
- Blair declared that it would be battle between free democratic world and terrorism, not just US
- Pledged to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder with our American friends’
22
Q
2
Describe Blair’s ‘liberal interventionism’
A
- Sent British forces into battle 5 times in 6 years
- April 1999 Chicago speech
23
Q
3
Describe Blair’s 1999 Chicago speech
A
- Made speech amid ethnic cleansing of Alabanians by Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia in Kosovan crisis
- claimed it would be legitimate for liberal world to intervene in internal affairs of soveriegn state
- added caveats of exhaustion of diplomatic options and a long-term commitment to rebuilding nation
24
Q
3
Describe Blair’s intervention in the Balkan Wars
A
- Blair devoted diplomatic efforts to persuading reluctant Clinton to back military action against Serbia after attacks on Kosovo
- 1999, prolonged NATO bombing campaign led by British forces forced Milosevic to withdraw forces from Kosovo
- Embolden Blair’s international status and shaped later policies
25
Q
3
Describe Blair’s intervention in Sierra Leone
A
- 2000, 200-strong British military contingent sent to Sierra Leone when rebel forces in CW threatened to capture Freetown, the capital
- Initially sent to evacuate foreigners and British nationals
- Yet British forces supported UN peacekeepers
- Capital secured and CW ended in 2002
26
Q
2
Describe the background to the Afghanistan invasion
A
- Taliban had allowed Al-Qaeda to use country as training and terrorist operation planning base
- Preparations for NATO forces to invade Afghanistan started almost immediately after 9/11
27
Q
5
Describe the invasion fo Afghanistan
A
- Oct 7 2001
- Britain joined US military campaign to overthrow Taliban and expel Al-Qaeda from the country
- Supported by both UN and NATO
- Hoped that Afghanistan would quickly develop into further modern democratic state
- Intended to be furtehr sign of liberal interventionism
28
Q
5
Describe the consequences of the invasion of Afghanistan
A
- No instant pacification (war would enter stalemate and last 20 years)
- Leaders of Taliban and Al-Qaeda escaped, including Bin Laden
- Weak democratic regime established with limited economic and political development
- Attention drawn towards Iraq from 2002
- Divided focus allowed Taliban to regroup in 2006-07
29
Q
3
Describe the pretext to the invasion of Iraq
A
- Saddam Hussein had been ‘contained’ by economic sanctions and NATO-policed ‘no-fly zones’ following First Gulf War 1990-91
- By 2002, increasing fears over the threat Saddam posed to West
- UN first resolution
30
Q
2
Describe Western fears of Saddam Hussein’s
A
- Iraq might link up with Al-Qaeda and provide new base for terrorism
- Iraq might develop WMD
31
Q
5
Describe the UN first resolution (resolution 1441) on Iraq
A
- UN resolution in Nov 2002 forced Saddam to allow weapons inspectors back in Iraq
- By early 2003 USA believed Saddam was not properly cooperating
- Dispute in UN about whether first resolution granted permission to use military force in these circumstances
- Blair made strenuous efforts to garner European support for second resolution
- Ultimately unsuccessful
32
Q
3
Describe the invasion of Iraq
A
- March 2003, invasion launched by ‘Coalition of the willing’: UK, US, Australia, Poland and Iraqi rebels
- By April 2003, military victory and overthrow of Saddam completed
- Yet Coalition forces became bogged down in war with no decisive end
33
Q
2
Describe the positives of the Iraq invasion
A
- By 2006, Iraqi government had become more stable and democratic + improvements in security situation
- Some argue Blair was correct in analysis that British involvement needed to ensure that US did not retreat to isolationism or unilateral action
34
Q
6
Describe opposition to the Iraq War
A
- Left-wing criticism (e.g. that war was about securing oil supplies, not ‘liberal interventionism’)
- Daily Mirror vocal source of opposition, releasing bloodied images of children on their front page
- ‘Stop the War’ march through central London in Feb 2003 attracted approx 1m demonstrators (biggest demonstration in British history)
- Four ministers, including Leader of HoC Robin Cook and Clare Short (International Development Sec), resigned over war in March 2003 - latter argued it was an illegal war without full UN backing
- David Kelly - exagerrated WMD threat
- British and US troops accused of unlawful torture of Iraqi prisoners e.g. waterboarding
35
Q
2
Describe the reduction of troops in Iraq
A
- Troops in Iraq reduced from 18k in May 2003 to 5.5k in Feb 2007
- Yet countered by need to reinforce Afghanistan effort
36
Q
3
Describe the Iraq situation by 2007
A
- 2007 situation fell considerably short of 2003 expectations for prosperous, permanently-stable liberal democracy
- More than 180 UK troops had died in operations
- Britain had 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
37
Q
4
Describe the impact of Iraq
A
- Rise of islamic terror - ISIS formed 2004
- Irreparably damaged Blair’s international reputation
- Made it more difficult for future British Governments to convince public of need for military involvement
- Consequently struggled to use diplomatic efforts and leverage of EU to mediate Israel-Palestine conflict
38
Q
5
Describe defence spending under Blair
A
- Rose from £21bn to £32bn between 1997 and 2007
- Defence budget remained steady at around 2.5% of GDP (twice that of Germany) - above 2% NATO target
- Longest growth in defence spending for more than 20 years
- Size of armed forces at 96% of capacity
- 2007, Renewed trident at cost of £20bn despite 95 rebel Labour MPs
39
Q
2
Describe progressive defence policy
A
- Manufacture of landmines banned
- No more hawk jets to be sold to Indonesia
40
Q
3
Describe scandals in defence policy
A
- Licenses meant that spare parts for existing Indonesian hawk jets contiued to be delivered
- Dropped fraud investigations into BAE systems deals with Saudi Arabia
- £28bn military air traffic control deal with heavily indebted Tanzania pushed through despite extensive opposition
41
Q
3
Describe Blair’s FP in Africa
A
- Used G8 Presidency in 2005 to forward plan for debt write-off for low-income nations
- Plan to double aid package in Africa to $25bn annoucned in 2005
- Deserves much credit for Libya’s 2003 decision to dismantle WMD programme by lifting Western sanctions in 2004
42
Q
6
Describe Britain’s position in the world by 2007
A
- By 2007, clear that Britain remained major power in world affairs
- Ongoing international relationships would continue to be debated
- Special relationship undoubtedly strengthened
- Britain’s position in EU remained ambivalent
- Britain was further from eurozone in 2007 than in 1997
- Iraq discredited liberal interventionism
