The Tories go nuclear

In a recent conversation with a Cameroon about the Tory Leader’s foreign policy overtures, I was alerted to William Hague’s July speech at the Institute for Strategic Studies during which the Shadow Foreign Secretary said the world faces a “new age of insecurity” unless the brakes are put on nuclear proliferation.

In many ways, his concern sits a little uncomfortably with today’s dominant foreign policy narratives. We are meant mainly to talk about home-grown terrorists, climate change and – after Georgia’s buffoonery and Russia’s aggression – the resurgence of Cold War–style confrontation with Moscow as well as the rise of China.

But while these challenges are serious and need to be addressed, Hague’s speech served – and for latecomers like me, still serves – as a useful reminder of the threats of weapons proliferation. Hague noted that the removal of technological barriers and a globe-spanning black market have improved the availability of WMDs, both for rogue states and terrorists.