97-07 Foreign Policy Flashcards
Blairs views on europe
-wanted a more positive relationship with partners
-enthusiastic about britain joining the euro
-wanted to strengthen EUs role in the wider world
-wanted to make britain a bridge between eu and us
Expansion of the EU
-expanded to 27 states by 2007
-became a political organisation of states of new europe
Failures of blair in europe
-no real progress on african aid/climate change
-britain unlikely to join the euro
-diluted scheme for reform in 2007 lisbon treaty
Special relationship
-blair believed us essential in european affairs
-bush elected 2000, republicans replaced democrats
-close relationship with bush in regards to terrorism
Yugoslavia
-blair persuaded clinton to back military action against serbia
-bombings in 1999 forced milosevic to pull out of kosovo
Sierra Leone
-rebel forces in civil war tried to take over capital in 2000
-british sent forces to evacuate but ended up securing the capital with un peacekeepers
Afghanistan
-nato forced planned to invade afghanistan as taliban had allowed al-qaeda to train and plan 9/11
-7 oct 2001 britain and us sent forces to overthrow the taliban and expel al-qaeda, both escaped
-progress in afghanistan slow with new government
The situation in iraq
-after gulf war hussein had been contained by no fly zones and economic sanctions, fears about him remained
-fear of WMD and cooperation with al-qaeda
-un resolution nov 2002 allowed weapons inspectors into iraq
Invasion of iraq
-worries hussein wasnt cooperating, march 2003 us forces backed by ‘coalition of the willing’ invaded iraq
-hussein overthrown by april 2003 but no end to the war
-by 2006 iraqi government more stable but war failed
Criticisms of iraq invasion
-4 ministers including foreign sec robin cooke resigned
-stop the war march feb 2003 over a million people
-failure to find evidence of WMD, may 2003 claimed threat was exaggerated
-brits and us troops accused of mistreating pows
