Post-imperial incomprehension

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Posh Boy Cameron spends a lot of his time swanning around telling other countries what they must or must not do. Most recently, Israel and Iran have received the benefit of his wisdom and advice, and have particularly been urged to remain calm rather than fight each other. Whilst I can’t disagree with the sentiment that it would be better if armies and armed groups weren’t killing each other along with any civilians who happen to get in the way, or even look askance at the men with guns, I can’t help but wonder if he has the remotest idea of how such advice, coming from such a person, is likely to sound to those being advised.

It’s hard to deal with complex history in a few short sentences, but in essence, Israel is a state that was born from a terrorist campaign against the colonial power at the time – which was, of course, the British Empire. Iran’s status as a theocratic Islamic state came about as a result of a revolt against the then Shah, a monarch who gained absolute power after the democratic government was overthrown by the CIA and British-backed army in order to protect British oil interests in the country. And the successor state to the British Empire, namely the UK, has, like its predecessor, a long history of violent intervention in the wider region in pursuit of its own, largely economic, interests. In short, neither country has much reason to look back on past British actions in the region with what one might call fondness, let alone see it as some sort of role model.

The idea that a recycled Old Etonian has-been who somehow managed to accidentally lead his own country out of the world’s largest and most successful trading bloc is somehow the ideal person to act on behalf of the wider world in delivering desist messages to two former imperial possessions (or semi-possessions) would seem strange to anyone who isn’t suffering from Post Imperial Stress Disorder (PISD), with its associated requirement to give the impression of being a great power in a position to deliver instructions to lesser mortals. A category which includes all foreigners in general. He genuinely seems not to comprehend why his instructions to the natives are not being followed, but that incomprehension is just another symptom of the disorder.