MP asks about Defence Diplomacy
During Defence Questions today in the House of Commons, John Baron MP asked the Minister of State for Defence, Gerald Howarth MP, about Britain’s stance on defence diplomacy, a key aspect of Britain’s soft power. Defence diplomacy is the peaceful use of military resources to engender friendly relationships and further relations.
‘Soft power’ is the ability to co-opt and attract others to your view without resorting to traditional ‘hard power’ means such as military or economic force. Instead, soft power often relies upon cultural attractiveness and reputation: Britain scores highly in the global soft power stakes due to the international status of English, a world-renowned cultural scene and institutions such as the BBC World Service.
In the House of Commons, John said:
“Defence diplomacy is a key component of Britain’s soft power capability. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that defence diplomacy is at the forefront of our defence and foreign policy, and could the Minister give examples of some of the programmes the MoD is pursuing?”
The Minister replied that he very much agreed and cited some examples.
Afterwards, John said:
“I’m glad the MoD shares my view that defence diplomacy is an important aspect of our foreign policy. I will therefore continue to question the Government as to why we are making cuts to our soft power capability, such as to the BBC World Service and the British Council.”
Ends
Words: 249
Date: 11th June 2012
Notes to Editors
John Baron will not post replies to any comments - to contact John please Click here or alternatively for a full list of contact details Click here