This paper explores the presence of ethical commitments in post-1997 UK foreign policy and examines the tension between ‘other regarding’ ethical commitments and the more familiar terrain of national interest. By investigating some of the conflicts between the divergent ethical beliefs held by key foreign policymakers in the last 15 years and the established practices and tools of foreign policy, the paper seeks to uncover how these conflicts were or, in many cases, were not resolved.
The paper argues that although the values-interests merger represents more than simple ‘ethical clothing’ for the pursuit of national interest, the extent to which national interests were truly compatible with ‘other regarding’ ethics has remained consistently under-explored by those involved in the development of UK foreign policy. Whilst different imaginations of ethical foreign policy have been evident during the time period in question, the paper highlights a recurrent form of cognitive dissonance and a lack of reflection on how these two spheres of responsibility might be reconciled given prevailing responsibilities and the foreign policy tools available.
Ultimately, recent UK policymakers have struggled with, on the one hand, an ethical agenda that cannot now simply be jettisoned from foreign policy and, on the other hand, an unwillingness to accept that this reconciliation of values and interest may require much wider ranging changes to the ways and means through which UK foreign policy is conducted.
