He long warned of the perils of NATO expansion, the need to manage China’s emergence onto the world stage, and the paucity of Western strategy. Tragically, he has been vindicated.
Even as he focuses primarily on Ukraine and Gaza, he should recognise the new axis of authoritarianism forming between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, with Myanmar as a subsidiary,
The rage, frustration and contempt of its terms are a foretaste of what’s to come if the Conservatives lose the next election.
The new Speaker of the House of Representatives must tread a tightrope – getting Democrats on side without alienating his divided Republican colleagues.
This way of thinking also contrasts with the naive counting of the civilian dead. In this tradition, war can be a necessary evil, but that judgement requires attention to its practical consequences.
Earlier this year the Coalition for Global Prosperity set out to teach the next generation of Parliamentary candidates a basic knowledge of defence, diplomacy, and development.
Hamas’ supporters or the authorities? Sunak needs to show that offenders will be prosecuted – and, if the situation deteriorates, to push for march bans, shuffle his Cabinet and show an all-party front with Starmer.
Each demands an unequivocal response from the United Kingdom and other Western nations committed to defending both our values and our security.
For all the thunderous blow-back that is undoubtedly coming, Hamas has already got what it wanted, both domestically and strategically.
“I am proud to be the first British Asian Prime Minister, but you know what…I’m even prouder that it’s just not a big deal.”
“Investing in defence is morally the right thing to do, the Defence Secretary declared. “It saves lives.” He criticised those who “from a woke banking perspective” who feel we should disinvest, should take a “dose of reality.”
But every speaker at this ConHome/AECON fringe conveyed the conviction that Ukraine will emerge stronger from the war.
The UK has led the world in providing military aid to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. How can we now go further and help Ukraine begin to rebuild its towns, cities and infrastructure? And what more can the government do to encourage the private sector to boost trade and investment in Ukraine’s economy?
Russia’s invasion represented the first open attack on an already-fraying rules-based system. The post-Cold War status quo, about which we became complacent, is gone. Everything has changed.