Foreign Policy Program of the Labour Party in Great Britain (1992-2010)

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the evolution of key aspects of the British Labour Party foreign policy program during the period of 1992-2010. The analysis of election manifestos makes it possible to conclude that in the 1990s the formation of the neoliberal political doctrine of the «New Labour» took place, which consolidated the Labour Party ultimate renunciation of socialist ideology, transition to social democratic principles, and recognized the appropriateness of some neoconservative reforms of Margaret Thatcher government (1979-1990). Such transformation allowed the Labour Party, headed by Tony Blair, to restore the confidence of the middle class, win the 1997 parliamentary election and remain in power until 2010. The author argues that with the coming to power of the Labour Party, took place a rethink of the British approach to foreign policy taking into account the realities of the post-bipolar world and the strengthening of globalization tendencies in international relations. In practice, that showed up in the use of approaches based on the principles of multilateralism and internationalism, which allowed Labour to establish more productive relationships with EU countries and international institutions, but also led to the country’s involvement in US military interventions against Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003 p.), which caused sharp criticism both in the environment of the political elite and dissatisfaction from the side of British public. The mentioned factors became one of the main reasons for reducing the popularity of Labour, its further defeat in the general election (2010) and the Conservative Party returning to power. The events associated with the planned Great Britain leaving the EU determine the relevance of the in-depth study of the processes of the leading world powers foreign policy forming and the mechanisms of interaction between the authorities and the societies of the leading powers with democratic political systems. Familiarization with European experience will promote the development of Ukrainian democratic institutions and the creation of a foreign policy course forming mechanisms.