Questions of war were not central to the founding of the Labour Party, yet questions of war – specifically, under what circumstances the party would support the dispatch of British military forces to fight abroad – have divided and damaged the party throughout its history more deeply than any other single issue. The Labour Party, War and International Relations, 1945-2006 opens by identifying and examining the factors that have influenced the party’s thinking about war, before considering the post-1945 Cold War context and analyzing a range of cases: the Korean Warthe party’s response to the 1956 Suez crisisthe Wilson government’s approach to the Vietnam WarLabour’s response to the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islandsthe crisis over the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, culminating in the 1991 warthe wars of the 1990s over Bosnia and Kosovothe case for war in Iraq developed by the Blair government during 2002-03. This is a timely book that both illuminates approaches to past wars and helps us understand the basis of current military commitments. As such it will be of great interest to students across courses in politics, history, and war studies.
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This book provides an in-depth political analysis of the Labour Party's attitude towards war and international relations since 1945.
1. The Labour Party and the Question of War 2. Taking Sides in the Cold War 3. The Labour Party and War in the 1950s: Korea and Suez 4. Harold Wilson, the Labour Party and the Vietnam War 5. Labour’s Falklands War 6. The Gulf War, 1990-91 7. The Rise of Humanitarian Military Intervention in the 1990s: Bosnia and Kosovo 8. New Labour Goes to War (Again): Iraq 2002-03. Conclusion
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'...a fine, clear and (so far as Blair is concerned) a damming book.'Bernard Porter, Lobster Magazine'Mark Phythian has produced a fascinating and hugely informative book. By focusing on Labour's attitude to war since 1945 he provides a unique analysis that throws much light on the more general evolution of the party. Long-term concerns with internationalism and support for the United Nations are apparent, especially in relation to Suez and Vietnam, as are the tensions implicit in the special relationship. Phythian is particularly successful in putting the Iraq war in a wider context that goes well beyond New Labour, demonstrating how the Blair approach has differed so much from that of the Labour Party of Attlee and Gaitskell. Suez haunted Eden and Iraq will haunt Blair - Phythian explain why and, in doing so, provides Labour with a challenge for the future.' Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies, Bradford University, UK"Based on impressive research, this is a well-written, perceptive study that should be widely read." - H.L. Smith, University of Houston
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780415399111
Publisert
2007-10-25
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Vekt
530 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
U, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
200

Forfatter

Biographical note

Mark Phythian is Professor of Politics at the University of Leicester, UK