Diplomatic faux pas

There is now much talk of the need to grow the army or build more ships, even in times of economic distress, lest Britain slip down the scales of international importance. Britain is – and will remain – a world power. Not a superpower, of course, but one of three major powers in Europe, and one of only two with a military and diplomatic reach to complement economic and ideological clout. Britain will need to have military capability, including a nuclear capability, to remain powerful. But the one thing Britain will need above all else, especially if defense expenditures are set to fall and our military is loosing esteem in the eyes of the US, is a world-beating diplomatic presence.

Unfortunately, there is little discussion about boosting the Foreign Office under a new government. In fact, there is little sense that the Shadow Cabinet have given much thought to what its problems are and how to address them; I disagree with Will Inboden that the Tories’ talk of a National Security Council represents a serious administrative reform plan.