Labour Traditions of International Order and the Dilemma of Action Towards Iran

Abstract

The New Labour governments viewed Iran as one of their most significant foreign policy challenges. This article argues that they drew heavily on Labour traditions of international order, interests and community in framing and understanding the kinds of threat presented by Iran, as well as in seeking policy responses to meet them. Iran presented a serious challenge to the authority of international organisations and regional and global non-proliferation regimes, all of which were cherished within Labour's internationalist traditions. UK policy towards Iran remained consistent with these internationalist traditions through successive iterations, including support for international institutions, diplomatic engagement and multilateral sanctions. Yet the Blair and Brown governments also faced a mounting policy dilemma by which the application of cherished internationalist traditions failed to achieve desired results, while Iranian centrifuges continued spinning.