Honeyman, VC orcid.org/0000-0003-2084-1395 (2017) From Liberal Interventionism to Liberal Conservatism: the short road in foreign policy from Blair to Cameron. British Politics, 12 (1). pp. 42-62. ISSN 1746-918X
Abstract
This article focuses on foreign policy during the Premierships of Gordon Brown and David Cameron, with a particular emphasis on the legacy bequeathed by Tony Blair. It is often assumed that the foreign policy landscape was fundamentally altered by Blair, and that his successors have followed his path, due perhaps to a lack of other options. The article will argue that the Blair doctrine of Liberal interventionism and the emphasis placed on the ‘ethical dimensions’ to foreign policy was largely a marketing exercise and changed very little in practical terms. The article will consider Blair’s approach to foreign policy before assessing whether his successors have genuinely pursued an ethically driven foreign policy or whether they have simply justified their actions in ‘ethical’ terms while continuing a more pragmatic, self-interested foreign policy. Did they learn the lessons of Blair or have they simply been forced to clear up the mess he left behind? Overall, this article will argue that the pragmatic style of foreign policy making which existed before Blair continued during his time as Prime Minister and has subsequently been adopted by his successors, with any changes in foreign policy being largely presentational rather than representing any type of meaningful change.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2015, Macmillan Publishers Ltd. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in British Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version 'Honeyman, VC (2015) From Liberal Interventionism to Liberal Conservatism: the short road in foreign policy from Blair to Cameron. British Politics. ISSN 1746-918X, doi: 10.1057/bp.2015.46' is available online at: http://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2015.46 |
Keywords: | Brown; Cameron; Blair; interventionism; conservatism; ethical |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Politics & International Studies (POLIS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Oct 2015 13:31 |
Last Modified: | 30 Jun 2017 18:36 |
Published Version: | http://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2015.46 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
Identification Number: | 10.1057/bp.2015.46 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:90411 |