How to read Brown's foreign policy

On the BBC website, World Affairs Correspondent Paul Reynolds writes of Douglas Alexander's foreign policy speech:

Gordon Brown also stressed to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, whom he met in London on Thursday, that Britain would always aim at multilateralism in foreign policy, though holding its options open for independent action in the final analysis.

That was perhaps code for - no more Iraqs.

Or perhaps not. Really - what does the statement to Ban Ki Moon mean? How does it differ from Mr Blair's policy? Didn't he aim at multilateralism while holding his options etc?

Obviously, there won't be another Iraq. There was only one Iraq under Tony Blair and I don't think there's going to be another in a hurry.

Does it mean no more Kosovos? No more Sierra Leones?

I think, on careful reading it means...

Nothing.

Comments

[William McIlhagga]

Yup that's the BBC for you. One fact+two opinions = a news story. And Paul Reynolds is one of the better ones.

[timmyhawk]

Thinking about it, it doesn't even differ THAT much from Bush's views on foreign policy.