A comparative study of the principles and approaches of British Labour and Conservative governments intervention in the Kosovo and Libya war from the English School of International Relations perspective

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of European Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

British foreign policy at different times can be explained based on different theories of international relations. In the two periods of its military intervention in the Kosovo and Libya wars, the reasons and justifications of the Labour and Conservative governments rely on the theory of the English school of international relations and can be interpreted on this basis. However, the approaches adopted by Tony Blair and David Cameron, influenced by evolving international norms and geopolitical considerations, show continuity and differences in the country's foreign policy. Accordingly, the main question of the research is: What are the reasons for Britain's entry and intervention that led to its performance under NATO missions and reflected the differences in the foreign policy approaches of the two Labour (Tony Blair) and Conservative (David Cameron) parties in the Kosovo and Libya wars? This article is based on the answer to this question and the hypothesis that Britain, during the rule of both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, justified its entry into the wars in Kosovo and Libya and advanced its national goals by using humanitarian reasons and taking advantage of the capacity of international organizations such as NATO and the Security Council. In order to reach the research question and hypothesis, the English school of international relations is used, and the data of this research, which is the result of analyzing the content of the speeches of the then British prime ministers using MAXQDA software and the Attridge-Stirling method, point to the fact that Britain in both wars was completely based on humanitarian reasons and based on the solidarity principle of the English school, but the Labour Party was more interested in global influence and, in contrast to the Conservative Party, sought to advance diplomacy.

Keywords

Main Subjects

حوزة موضوعی: بریتانیا

Scope: UK

References

 
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Journal of Countries Studies
Volume 4, Issue 1
2026
Pages 79-106

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 10 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 20 April 2025
  • First Publish Date: 28 April 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 May 2026

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