The struggle against extremism – colloquially known as the war on terror– is gradually being won. After the French Revolution, ‘terrorism’ came to mean the arbitrary use of state power by a tyrant to lord over a people, but today the term has come to mean an individual or group who uses violence, often indiscriminately, against civilians for political outcome.
Perhaps it is time to use both meanings of ‘terrorism’; in other words, so that a ‘terrorist’ can be either a dictator or an extremist. After all, both use the tactics of ‘terror’ – whether the torture chamber and the secret police or the nail bomb and suicide bomber – to instil fear into others for their own selfish agendas.
September 11 2001 changed the world. The result of al-Qaeda’s terror strikes was that the United States, under the presidency of George W Bush, moved away from a ‘humble’ and ‘realist’ foreign policy.
Instead, Washington became committed to the transcendence of oppressive structures in the Middle East, which, it hoped, would end the threat from Islamist extremists. Our own government has been criticised for participating in this enterprise – and Tony Blair has been called a ‘poodle’ for it – yet it is conveniently forgotten that similar ideas animated Labour’s foreign policy after its landslide victory in 1997.
Casting aside the ‘amoral-quietist’ foreign policy of John Major’s Tory government where, for example, Bosnia was allowed to collapse into genocide, Tony Blair and Robin Cook wanted Labour’s foreign policy to be different. It would put values and the promotion of democracy at its core. It would increase the level of aid given to poor countries. It would rebuild the nation’s armed forces after years of Tory cuts. And, it would restore strong relations with both Washington and Brussels. But more than that, it would seek to transform the world, bringing tyrants to heel and fighting oppression and poverty all over the globe.
The prime minister’s ‘Doctrine of the International Community’ speech, delivered in Chicago in 1999, was, in this respect, a breath of fresh air. Therefore, it is not the prime minister who is the poodle of the American president, but rather, it is George W Bush who has followed in the tracks of Tony Blair.
Under Labour, Britain is a missionary democracy, working to build a better world.
A number of truly abhorrent terrorists have been confronted and beaten since Labour came to power. Slobodan Milosevic, the butcher of Kosovo, is dead. The Revolutionary United Front, who lopped-off the hands of children in Sierra Leone, were crushed. Then, after the attacks by al-Qaeda on September 11 2001, Britain’s power was used to end the terror of both the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.
In the meantime, terrorist bases and cells have been attacked and wound-up all over the world. Nations and peoples oppressed for decades now have the chance to build for themselves – with our help – a better sort of society, an open society, a democratic society, and a society built on social solidarity and the rule of law. Reform in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq may take time, but at least the chance for change is real.
So, how should Labour proceed? First, the values of the Labour party must continue to be reflected in our foreign policy, meaning that Britain must remain committed to transforming foreign countries for the better. After all, the promotion of democracy overseas spreads peace. It stops war, ends oppression, radicalisation and extremism, and builds free societies. Not only is this a moral project, but it is also a strategic imperative: it enhances the security of Britain, our allies and the wider world.
Second, Britain must increase its aid and public diplomacy budgets, to help reduce global poverty, and enhance the nation’s image abroad. Third, Britain must retain strong armed forces and be prepared to use them to confront terrorists – tyrants, individuals or groups – who would otherwise oppress and kill anyone who got in their way.
And finally, Britain must continue in close alliance with Washington, and work in Brussels as a committed member of the European Union.
Only by remaining a missionary democracy and employing a progressive foreign policy can Britain win the ‘war on terror’. The Labour party must carry on harnessing British power in order to remake the world. It may take time, but our security – along with the freedom of others – depends on it.