LIt wasn’t easy for Secretary of State James Cleverly to garner attention for his first keynote speech. Many Brits had to brave a rare element of nature – snow – on Monday, and it was also the last day for errands before the full wave of strikes is expected to sweep across the country. The situation on the island seemed so tense that international instability seemed far away.
Cleverly took this as a starting point to formulate new strategies. Under the keyword “patient diplomacy” he designed a concept that is intended to change the priorities of British foreign policy. He described relations with classic allies such as Germany, France and America, embedded in NATO and the G7, as Britain’s “greatest source of strength”. They would even have to be expanded, for example by expanding the UN Security Council to include Germany, Brazil, India and Japan – “along with a permanent representation from Africa”.
Nevertheless, one should not rest on the “cuddly blanket”. The shifts in the global economy – and thus in the political balance of power – to the detriment of the West would force greater involvement in states whose international role will increase in importance in the medium term. He cited Brazil, Kenya, South Africa and Indonesia as examples.
London wants to show “strategic perseverance”.
As early as Friday, at the 72nd Königswinter Conference in London, the British side noted that China in particular was planning its foreign policy well into the next century, while the West was often only aligning itss with the next elections. In the future, the United Kingdom will also “show strategic perseverance,” Cleverly promised on Monday. It is important to “learn from our competitors and always think 10, 15, 20 years ahead”. In the past, people were “perhaps too transactional and too impatient,” he said. Now you have to “have the will to build relationships for the coming decades”.
Implicitly, Cleverly acknowledged that British foreign policy had changed course in recent years. The EU went from being a political home to a trading bloc with which it has been at odds since Brexit. Russia, active in the UK economy via oligarchs, went from partner to threat. And the “golden era” with China proclaimed by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015 was recently declared “over” by his successor Rishi Sunak.
The “change in the global balance of power” will not be registered with regret by Great Britain, Cleverly assured. It became possible because billions of people in the South and East escaped hunger, which has a lot to do with Western activities. But now “Britain’s future influence depends on convincing and winning over a much wider circle of countries,” Cleverly said, citing states in the Commonwealth, Southeast Asian ASEAN and the African Union. If London didn’t forge these new alliances, “you can bet others will try and bridge the gap,” he said.
According to Clerverly, the BBC commented on Monday that it is not enough to defeat Putin’s Russia in Ukraine – it is necessary to convince new allies that the rules-based order is also in their interests. From now on, London wants to focus on countries that value state sovereignty, territorial integrity and international rules – but not necessarily democracy and human rights. Cleverly had already spoken about the example of Saudi Arabia at the weekend. Despite “very, very deep differences”, which will continue to be addressed, the government in Riyadh is economically, culturally and religiously influential in the region and is therefore an “incredibly important” partner.
