Screw the US, part II

It should be obvious from last night's outburst that I'm solidly against being a subservient little client of the US. But what am I for? Well, for a start, I think that we should pursue an independent foreign policy. This means making our own minds up, rather than blindly following some larger power. Yes, we should support our traditional friends and allies, but only when their cause is just. When their cause is not just, we should stand on our principles and tell them where to go (as we did over the invasion of Iraq, and as we've done for a long time over our nuclear free policy).

The principles we should be standing on are things like justice, democracy, human rights, and self-determination. We have a long history of promoting these ideals in the international arena, and we should continue doing so. Even when it involves telling our friends that they are wrong.

Whereever possible, we should take a multilateral approach. Yes, existing international institutions are flawed (the UN because five powers have a veto, and the WTO because it is insufficiently democratic and stacked in favour of the wealthy), but they're what we've got. Where necessary we should work to reform them, or if necessary to create alternatives. A Hobbesian world where powers act unilaterally according to the law of the jungle is both incompatible with our principles and not in our interests. Only a strong international system which upholds justice and human rights for all will protect both.