National interest to global reform: patterns of reasoning in British foreign policy discourse

Humphreys, A. R. C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5726-0714 (2015) National interest to global reform: patterns of reasoning in British foreign policy discourse. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 17 (4). pp. 568-584. ISSN 1369-1481 doi: 10.1111/1467-856X.12053

Abstract/Summary

Discussion of the national interest often focuses on how Britain's influence can be maximized, rather than on the goals that influence serves. Yet what gives content to claims about the national interest is the means-ends reasoning which links interests to deeper goals. In ideal-typical terms, this can take two forms. The first, and more common, approach is conservative: it infers national interests and the goals they advance from existing policies and commitments. The second is reformist: it starts by specifying national goals and then asks how they are best advanced under particular conditions. New Labour's foreign policy discourse is notable for its explicit use of a reformist approach. Indeed, Gordon Brown's vision of a 'new global society' not only identifies global reform as a key means of fulfilling national goals, but also thereby extends the concept of the national interest well beyond a narrow concern with national security.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/38528
Identification Number/DOI	10.1111/1467-856X.12053
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Politics and International Relations
Uncontrolled Keywords	national interest;New Labour;British foreign policy;global order
Publisher	Wiley
Publisher Statement	‘The definitive version is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com’.
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item