Normally foreign policy is the refuge of poll-losing leaders, who have tired of the slow pace of domestic reform and launch themselves unto the international stage in the hope of a restoration.
Even if electoral rehabilitation is unlikely, the Club of Leaders is a more collegial place than the domestic political scene. Think Bill Clinton in 2000. Or the world-strutting Tony Blair.
Even Gordon Brown, whose interest in foreign affairs is clearly limited, has sought to build an international profile, in part to help him at home. He hasn’t done it like Tony Blair, who would be jetting round the world trying to solve the Russian-Georgian War. But the PM has taken a lead on issue he cares about like international development, and world finance. The PIPA global polling data on trust in world leaders puts him in second
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