By IRNA
London : Foreign Secretary David Miliband argued Tuesday that mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan must not cloud the moral imperative of the British government to intervene, sometimes militarily, to help spread democracy throughout the world.
The rise of China means that the world can no longer take “the forward march of democracy for granted” and that Britain must unambiguously be on the side of “civilian surges” for democracy, Miliband said, according to extracts of a new speech.
His speech entitled The Democratic Imperative the British government to be made in Oxford later Tuesday is the clearest exposition yet of Labour’s recast foreign policy under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Guardian newspaper suggested.
The controversy over the debacle of the Iraq war “has clouded the debate about promoting democracy around the world,” the foreign secretary was quoted saying.
“I understand the doubts about Iraq and Afghanistan, and the deep concerns at the mistakes made,” he said. His pleas was “not to let divisions over those conflicts obscure our national interest, never mind our moral impulse, in supporting movements for democracy.” Among a string of practical proposals to support democracy, Miliband was due to suggest encouraging economic openness as a means of tackling corruption and increasing transparency, including in China, where he is due to travel later this month.
A new round of provincial elections in Iraq was also proposed, to help to bind in former insurgents who want proof of their local influence, and the chance to join the Iraqi security force.
Organisations like the UN or NATO should consider offering “security guarantees” to new but fragile governments, conditional on them abiding by democratic rules, the British minister also suggested.
He further argued that fostering democracy in the Middle East “is the best long-term defence against global terrorism and conflict” and warned that the spread of democracy is guaranteed.
Miliband’s broad-ranging speech reflects his deep concern that a combination of factors was storing up a powerful isolationist mood in Britain, the Guardian said.
These including widespread distaste for American neo-conservatism, disillusionment at the practical failures in Iraq, and a feeling some underdeveloped countries, such as Kenya, are simply too tribal for democracy.
Interventions in other countries must be more subtle, better planned, and if possible undertaken with the agreement of multilateral institutions, the foreign secretary argued.