July 12, 2019

The diplomatic spat that might change world politics

topic:	Humans
located:	United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Germany, Senegal, Cambodia
editor:	Gurmeet Singh

One of the sadder ironies emerging from the recent diplomatic furore between the U.K. and the U.S. is that in the midst of the U.K.'s bluster about how vital, strong and important it is as a nation, it reveals just how weak, small and dependent it is. I'm talking of course about the Sir Kim Darroch issue, the U.K.'s soon-to-be-former ambassador to the U.S. who announced his resignation earlier last week.

Darroch's confidential emails to a limited number of colleagues were leaked to the British journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has significant ties with pro-Brexit politicians and businesspeople, and published them in the Daily Mail. These mails specifically described Donald Trump and his administration as inept, chaotic, and insecure. Despite these being honest and somewhat routine assessments of the President (and also in accordance with vast swathes of public discourse), it created something of a stir. Trump was predictably insulted and aggrieved, letting his insecurities show in the most obvious way. He tweeted that the ambassador was "wacky" and that the administration would no longer deal with him. In the U.K., Boris Johnson, the man tipped to be the next Prime Minister, refused to back Darroch, leading of course to Darroch's resignation, the ambassador filling his position would be untenable under Johnson. 

Why did Johnson not back the ambassador? To do Trump's bidding, of course. He does not want to upset the U.S. President, and so refused to back a member of the U.K.'s civil service, who was simply doing his job. He does not want to upset the President, especially when the U.K.’s relationship with the EU becomes more strained. Brexiteer politicians such as Richard Tice have said that the role should now be filled by someone who is pro-Brexit; this is widely believed to be the reason why the journalist Oakeshott was involved. Oakeshott compromises the ambassador so that someone like Nigel Farage can step into the role.

That's the belief, anyway. Whatever the case, it shows just how feeble Britain has become. Despite Brexiteer claims that Britain can stand alone in the world, its future Prime Minister does not dare upset the American President. The U.K. might leave the EU, but it won't be independent; it will be ever more beholden to America. 

There are also more obvious issues this brings to the surface. A civil servant in the Foreign Office should be allowed to make honest judgements and assessments of world leaders and nations. The civil service should also be allowed to work free from political interference. And finally, the leaks should be investigated, and Oakeshott's involvement should be brought to light in a more public way. Hidden interests and networks need public attention.

Darroch's resignation is not only highly regrettable, but is also a signal of where we are headed. If even the U.K.'s political machinery can be altered to suit the whims of one particular world leader, then so can other nations. This is a problem for other industrialised nations such as Germany and Canada, but will be an even greater one for developing and third-world countries. What if Trump decides he doesn't like the Senegalese or the Cambodian ambassador, for example? What power struggles will he initiate in those countries? How will their already limited influence be damaged?

By orienting political order around a single individual, Britain has not only damaged itself, it has also set a precedent for other nations: just do what the guy in the Oval Office wants, do not challenge him, do not make your own judgements. And as for Richard Tice and other bootlickers who claim that it was right for Darroch to leave, arguing that it was inappropriate for the ambassador to make such judgements (since it damages the much-vaunted 'special relationship’), this cowardice and opportunism betrays itself. If the only reason you don't publicly denounce Trump is because of a 'special relationship', you reveal that you too think he is inept and insecure. 

This might just be an isolated diplomatic spat. I doubt it. The world should take note. 

Image showing Sir Kim Darroch: www.gov.uk

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