- 03 May 2017 02:51
#14801947
Lords report calls for fresh alliances to be forged in region and criticises approaches to Syria,Arab spring and Saudi arms sales
The UK must fundamentally rethink its approach to the Middle East and potentially distance itself from the “mercurial and unpredictable” leadership of Donald Trump, a major report has concluded.
Former cabinet ministers, senior foreign policy advisers and diplomats warned the Foreign Office against relying too heavily on the US president and urged the UK to completely redraw its approach to the region.
“The mercurial and unpredictable nature of policymaking by President Trump has made it challenging for the UK government to influence US foreign policy so far, a challenge that is not likely to ease,” the committee said.
The group is chaired by the former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Howell and includes former foreign policy advisers to William Hague and Gordon Brown, the former UK ambassador to the UN Lord Hannay, and the former Labourdefence secretary Lord Reid.
“In a world less automatically dominated by the US underpinning security in the region, it is no longer right to have a stance at every stage of ‘if we just get on with the US everything will be alright’,” Howell said. He described the US as “the wild card”, and said: “We really have to think for ourselves.”
He added: “The Middle East has changed and UK policy in the region must respond to that. As the UK prepares to leave the EU, and we have a new and uncertain American policy in the region, we cannot assume our strategies of the past will suffice.
“We need a new UK Middle East strategy and set of policies that reflect the new reality in the region. We can no longer assume America will set the tone for the west’s relationship with the Middle East and the UK must give serious thought to how our own approach will need to change.
“From inward investment to the UK, the impact of refugees from the region and our continuing reliance on gas and oil exports, our interests will continue to be intertwined with those of the region and the government must ensure it has the right plan for our relationship with it.”
The committee was sharply critical of the role of the new US administration, saying it had the potential to destabilise the region further.
The report said: “The mercurial and unpredictable nature of policymaking by President Trump has made it challenging for the UK government to influence US foreign policy so far, a challenge that is not likely to ease.”
The UK must fundamentally rethink its approach to the Middle East and potentially distance itself from the “mercurial and unpredictable” leadership of Donald Trump, a major report has concluded.
Former cabinet ministers, senior foreign policy advisers and diplomats warned the Foreign Office against relying too heavily on the US president and urged the UK to completely redraw its approach to the region.
“The mercurial and unpredictable nature of policymaking by President Trump has made it challenging for the UK government to influence US foreign policy so far, a challenge that is not likely to ease,” the committee said.
The group is chaired by the former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Howell and includes former foreign policy advisers to William Hague and Gordon Brown, the former UK ambassador to the UN Lord Hannay, and the former Labourdefence secretary Lord Reid.
“In a world less automatically dominated by the US underpinning security in the region, it is no longer right to have a stance at every stage of ‘if we just get on with the US everything will be alright’,” Howell said. He described the US as “the wild card”, and said: “We really have to think for ourselves.”
He added: “The Middle East has changed and UK policy in the region must respond to that. As the UK prepares to leave the EU, and we have a new and uncertain American policy in the region, we cannot assume our strategies of the past will suffice.
“We need a new UK Middle East strategy and set of policies that reflect the new reality in the region. We can no longer assume America will set the tone for the west’s relationship with the Middle East and the UK must give serious thought to how our own approach will need to change.
“From inward investment to the UK, the impact of refugees from the region and our continuing reliance on gas and oil exports, our interests will continue to be intertwined with those of the region and the government must ensure it has the right plan for our relationship with it.”
The committee was sharply critical of the role of the new US administration, saying it had the potential to destabilise the region further.
The report said: “The mercurial and unpredictable nature of policymaking by President Trump has made it challenging for the UK government to influence US foreign policy so far, a challenge that is not likely to ease.”
- By annatar1914
- By Pewty