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Neo-con Cameron Fails To Re-invent Himself In Pakistan |
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Sunday, 07 September 2008 |
He may be flushed from the sun but he ought to be flushed from embarrasment by the stunning u-turn he made in a disingenuos foreign policy speech. He even followed in the footsteps of Tony Blair and George W Bush by taking a swipe at the Islamic institution of the Caliphate in a speech to Pakistan's Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (for which he was heckled), when trying to outline his ‘new foreign policy doctrine’ – which sounded remarkably similar to Blair’s liberal interventionist doctrine in substance, differing only on emphasis.
It was a u-turn because Cameron said he was not a neoconservative, and that he opposed the neoconservative foreign policy that tried to impose democracy at the barrel of a gun. This from a man who supported the war in Iraq, the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan and was a cheerleader for Israel's bombardment of Lebanon.
Furthermore Cameron’s Shadow Cabinet has no shortage of neocons. His Shadow Chancellor and close ally George Osbourne has hailed "the excellent neo-conservative case for action against Iraq".
Shadow Education Spokesman, Michael Gove - another member of the Cameroon inner-circle and Notting Hill set - is a self-declared neocon and signed up member of the neo-conservative Henry Jackson Society, who have no issue with imposing democracy by military force.
It is disingenous because Cameron’s track record on these issues suggests he has no problem with bombing his way to democracy in principle. Rather it is likely that the new ‘heir to Blair’ (as the master of media manipulation) realises that he needs to distance himself from what is now a soiled brand.
Sadly, for Cameron, the cap fits – so he’ll have to wear it. So it’s, no Neo-Cam, but still Neo-Con for the Tories.
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