The foreign affairs policy review will focus on "Britain and the Brics" ie the UK's relationship with Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Tom Clark writes:
It is a sign of how uninterested modern-day Labour is in high diplomacy as it was traditionally understood, that the pure foreign policy (as opposed to defence) aspect of the review appears to have been reduced to an analysis of how Britain can engage with the the countries grouped by the buzzword "BRIC". Brazil, Russia, India and particularly China are of course important, but can anyone imagine Labour devising a specific line on relations with them which will differ in any important way from that been taken by the coalition? A greater emphasis on human rights in dealings with China would of course be an option, but in the recent past the party has not been keen to push that, given the potential effects on trade. Could things be different next time Labour takes power?
