Tuesday, January 13, 2009

On Gaza, Britain is in a collective funk

The government has ducked moral obligation and overstated its world leverage as outrage over the bloodshed increases

Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Monday 12 January 2009

".....In a speech in Oxford last year, seen as defining his tenure, Miliband warned Britain must perforce be cautious about its capacity to change the world. "But while we have less influence than we might hope, we have more than we might fear," he said.

Miliband listed the powerful levers still at a diminished Britain's disposal. They included extensive financial and economic leverage, a relatively large aid budget, well-developed communication and media resources, and top-table membership of leading global institutions such as the UN, the EU, Nato and the World Trade Organisation.

But that was not all. Miliband went on: "Finally, there will be situations where the hard power of targeted sanctions, international criminal proceedings, security guarantees and military intervention will be necessary."

No sign of that in Gaza. As the blood flows and the outrage grows, critics say Britain is not only not doing enough – but has failed to use the not inconsiderable levers of powers that, by its own estimation, it still retains......."

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