News / The Road to Westminster 2015

Will the next British government change its aggressive, interventionist foreign policy?

Friday, 24 April 2015 10:21 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 April 2015 10:22 AM ]

What role will foreign policy issues play in this election and will the next government change its neo-colonial stance?

Although Britain has slowly withdrawn its occupation forces from the disastrous campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, David Cameron’s government of the last 5 years has still presided over a hawkish foreign policy effectively following the American lead at every step.

The British bombing of Libya (as part of a NATO coalition) was perhaps Cameron’s biggest foreign policy disaster. He might have helped to topple a dictator but now the country is in a state of anarchy with two separate governments and military warfare the norm.

Cameron’s general policy towards the Arab revolutions has been to support Israel and the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia (especially in Bahrain and Yemen) and war against the Resistance Axis (in Syria).

He supported the coup against the democratically-elected Yanukovych government in Ukraine and has implemented sanctions on Russia over the ensuing conflict there.

Closer to home he has promised a referendum on European Union membership if re-elected, perhaps sensing the anti-European mood of the nation as a whole.

On the other hand Cameron has committed himself to a deal with Iran over its nuclear program even if he has supported the economic sanctions against Iran which have been in place for decades.

But with domestic politics and economic issues dominating the campaign, what role will foreign policy play in voters’ minds?

And can any of the smaller parties (such as the Scottish National party) play a restraining role on the major parties if they enter into a coalition government with Labour or the Conservatives?

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