The creation of Labour's foreign policy 1900-1951

The Labour Party and the World. Volume 1: The Evolution of Labour's Foreign Policy, 1900-51. Rhiannon Vickers. Manchester University Press. [pounds sterling]45.00. viii + 2332 pages. ISBN 0-7190-6744-8.

It is interesting to note how strongly the Blair government has been influenced by the foreign policy principles of the Labour Party at different times over the course of the twentieth century. Far from designing a fresh template for the conduct of foreign affairs, 'New Labour's has continued the party tradition of international engagement, a strong advocacy of global organisations and the centrality of the 'special relationship' with the United States. When Robin Cook became Foreign Secretary in May 1997 he sought to pursue an 'ethical' foreign policy underpinned by a strong commitment to foreign assistance, international law and the influence of Britain within regional and global institutions. In recent times, however, Tony Blair and Cook's successor, Jack Straw, have placed a close alliance with Washington at the heart of their diplomacy.

By choosing the Anglo-American 'special relationship', Blair and Straw have relegated the ethical dimension of foreign policy to a supporting role, as the United Kingdom has striven to act as America's junior partner in the war against terrorism and Iraq. Both the Cook and Blair approaches are rooted in different Labour Party foreign policy traditions. The ethical approach was especially prominent in the Labour Party of the 1920s and early 1930s, whereas the preference for a 'special relationship' with the United States underpinned British foreign policy during the Cold War.

Rhiannon Vickers has produced a very readable survey of the main themes in the foreign policy of the Labour Party from 1900-51. The current book is the first in a projected two-volume study, which when completed will be a comprehensive treatment of Labour's perspective on Britain's world role since 1900. The main strength of this first volume, which ends with the fall of Clement Attlee's second administration, is the author's impressive knowledge of the divergent strands of thinking on foreign policy within the Labour Party. She draws on a wide range of sources including recently declassified government documents in the United Kingdom and United States together with materials contained in the archives of the Labour Party and Trades Union Congress. As such, the reader is provided with a panoramic view of the debates that shaped Labour's attitudes towards international events across the first half of the twentieth century.

The author describes the response of Labour to the First World War and the party's determined support for the League of Nations both in and out of office in the 1920s. She explores the shift that occurred in Labour's foreign policy in 1937 and how antimilitarism, a keystone of Labour policy in government, was abandoned in favour of rearmament on the eve of the Second World War. From 1939 onwards there appear to be two main foreign policy wings in the Labour Party. The leadership, most prominently associated with Attlee and Ernest Bevin, during and after the Second World War, tended to follow Winston Churchill's three circles' concept with respect to Britain's world role: maintenance of the Empire-Commonwealth, an influential voice in Europe and the Anglo-American 'special relationship'. On the other hand, an array of cabinet ministers, backbench Members of Parliament and trade unionists tended to prefer closer co-operation between Britain and other socialist-led countries including the Soviet Union. From this wing of the party emerged Labour's campaign for global disarmament and abolition of nuclear weapons during the Cold War era.

Rhiannon Vickers also provides an informative analysis of the theoretical underpinnings of Labour foreign policy. From Keir Hardie to Tony Blair the Labour Party has been avowedly 'international' in its external policy outlook. The party has perceived Britain as belonging to a community of nations with common interests and values. The Labour Party espouses the creation of a global order conducive to democracy, collective security, arms control and working-class solidarity across nations. Another central concept that defines the foreign policy vision of Labour is the party's belief in the necessity of strong international institutions and international law. In the spirit of the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, the Labour Party has long held the conviction that democracy holds the key to peace and stability in the international system. While pacifism has always been an integral component of Labour's foreign policy, the party has continued to adopt a strong stance with regard to authoritarian governments that it fears will pose a threat to democracy as a force for good in world affairs. These convictions can perhaps help to partly explain the present Prime Minister's highly contentious decision to intervene in Iraq.

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