Synopses & Reviews
This is the second book in a unique two-volume study tracing the evolution of the Labour Partys foreign policy throughout the 20th century to the present date. This is the first comprehensive study of the history of the Labour Partys worldview and foreign policy. It argues that Labours foreign policy perspective should be seen not as the development of a socialist foreign policy, but as an application of the ideas of liberal internationalism. Volume Two provides a critical analysis of Labours foreign policy since 1951. It examines Labours attempts to rethink foreign policy, focusing on intra-party debates, the problems that Labour faced when in power, and the conflicting pressures from party demands and external pressures. It examines attitudes to rearmament in the 1950s, the partys response to the Suez crisis and the Vietnam War, the bitter divisions over nuclear disarmament and the radicalisation of foreign and defence policy in the 1980s. It also examines Labours desire to provide moral leadership to the rest of the world. The last two chapters focus on the Blair and Brown years, with Blairs response to the Kosovo crisis, to 9/11 and his role in the "war on terror." Whereas Blairs approach to foreign affairs was to place emphasis on the efficacy of the use of military force, Browns approach instead placed faith in the use of economic measures. This highly readable book provides an excellent analysis of Labours foreign policy. It is essential reading for students of British politics, the Labour Party, and foreign policy.
Review
"Altogether, the book is written in a clear and accessible manner and will be of particular value to students. At the same time, in emphasizing internationalism as a framework for understanding Labour's foreign policy across the twentieth century, it stands to stimulate further debate." - Paul Corthorn, Queen's University Belfast, Twentieth Century British History Review
Synopsis
This is the second book in a unique two-volume study that traces the evolution of the Labour Party's foreign policy throughout the 20th century to the present date.
About the Author
Rhiannon Vickers is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics, University of Sheffield.
Table of Contents
Introduction * Labours foreign policy approach * The 1950s: new conflicts, rearmament and the bomb * The Wilson governments, 1964-70 * Defence and foreign policy in the 1970s * The radicalisation of Labours foreign and defence policy in the 1980s * New Labour triumphs * Labours foreign policy in the twenty-first century * Conclusion * Bibliography