Stand up to Bush

Bulletin No. 8

Publication date: February/ March 2002

Summary
Since Bush's "axis of evil" speech in January, international opposition to US unilateralist policies has been mounting. Whilst European leaders such as Lionel Jospin and Jose Maria Aznar, along with senior EU officials Chris Patten and Javier Solana have all questioned US policy, one government has lent support Britain.

Far from using his influence to try to reign-in the Bush Administration's enthusiasm for trashing international treaties, Tony Blair praises Bush's "tremendous leadership" skills and says he is "absolutely right" to raise the issue of weapons of mass destruction.

According to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw missile defence is "not an alternative to the wider non-proliferation effort, but could be part of it." Whilst Defence Minister Adam Ingram says that the UK has "consistently made it clear that we understand the role that missile defences can play" and claims that the US is "not proceeding in a unilateral manner."