But almost certainly the demands on British forces implicit in the new approach would involve a immediate quadrupling of the defence budget, and would therefore not get much further than a provisional meeting in the next comprehensive spending review. There are also longer-term questions about Britain’s relationship with Europe as it contemplates such a dominant global role.Still, the advantage of an “approach”, as distinct from a policy, is that it can be finessed over time. John Major found that with “Back to Basics” the approach could be finessed to the point where it disappeared altogether. There is no sense that Mr Blair’s new ethical globalism is heading for oblivion. On the contrary, it is being taken up across most parts of the Government. But I will be surprised if the policies arising from it will be quite so ambitious.The more immediate questions relate to specific policy issues.
The Northern Alliance cannot be allowed to dominate any new administration in Afghanistan. Yet there has been a distinct change of tone in Washington and London since the Alliance followed the BBC’s John Simpson into Kabul. Ministers have declared that its leaders do not seem as bad as their reputation might have suggested. This is hardly surprising with the world’s media – not just Mr Simpson – keeping an eye on them This is the Northern Alliance on its best behaviour. Some uncritical supporters of the war have suggested that raising questions about the Alliance is going a bit too far We should all be rejoicing.
But it is a publicly declared objective of the coalition to establish an “inclusive” government in Kabul. This is not an ideal dreamed up by a bunch of peaceniks in Hampstead.More broadly, this has been labelled as a war against terrorism. For the first time that misleading slogan offers some precision This was not meant to be a war solely against the Taliban. The regime in Kabul became a target as it harboured terrorists.
Recently ministers have declared that the Taliban and Mr bin Laden’s network were two sides of the same coin. Given the speed with which the Taliban fell apart it is difficult to imagine it was behind the appallingly sophisticated attacks on 11 September. Other more devious minds were at work, not all of them in Afghanistan.Possibly they included minds residing in Iraq. Even if that is not the case it is inevitable that US minds will be diverting their attention to Baghdad There is logic to such a dangerous move. Terrorists flourish in many areas apart from caves in Afghanistan.