Liberal Interventionism versus International Law: Blair's Wars Against Kosovo and Iraq

British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, proclaimed on 12 May 1997 that the goals of security, prosperity, protection of the environment, and ‘an ethical dimension’ would guide foreign policy under the new Labour Government. ¹ It was this last part of the ‘mission statement’ that attracted the newspaper headlines the following day. Cook’s declaration that ‘The Labour Government will put human rights at the heart of our foreign policy’, and his promise to ‘make Britain once again a force for good in the world’, ² established a new moral compass by which to steer Britain’s foreign relations. ³ At the same time, the Foreign Secretary made clear that he saw no incompatibility between a human rights orientated foreign policy, and one that promoted the rules of the international community. What this cosy optimism overlooked was the possibility that cases would arise where hard choices would have to be made between ethics and security on the one hand, and respect for the rule of law on the other.