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1、Chapter 1BritainandtheMiddleEast:InPursuitofEternalInterestsMarkSedgwick“Thenationalinterestisclearlydefinedbythegovernment”—SirStevenWall,ca2005“Wehavenoeternalallies,andwehavenoperpetualenemies.Ourinterestsareeternalandperpetual,andthoseinterestsitisourdutytofollow.”—LordPalme
2、rston,ca1848TwobroadinterestshavedominatedBritain’sapproachtotheMiddleEastfromthecolonialeratothecurrentday,andmostlikelytheywillcontinuetodosofordecadestocome:thecontrolofoilandthedesireforregionalstability.However,cursoryresearchintothecontoursoftheUnitedKingdom’sforeignpolicy
3、towardstheregionrevealsavarietyofother“interests”thateitherencourage,temper,orconflictwiththetwotime-honored,overarchinggoalsconcerningoilandstability.IfensuringthefreeflowofoilandkeepingregionalinstabilitytoaminimumareBritain’sprimaryinterestsintheMiddleEast,wheredoother“intere
4、sts”—suchasgeneratingpoliticalandeconomicreformintheregion—fitintothegrandschemeofUKforeignpolicy?Guidedbythepremisethatbothexogenousandendogenousfactorsinfluencethedefinitionofinterestsasdefinedhere,thegoalofthischapteristolookbothoutsideandinsidethe“blackbox”ofthestateinordert
5、oexaminewhatfactorsshapeUKinterestsintheMiddleEast.First,however,understandingwhichactorsmakeBritishforeignpolicyandwhatforcesareatplayisthegoalofthenextsection.TheArchitectsofBritishPolicyBothformalandinformalfactorshaveanimatedtheinstitutionalactorswhosecombinedactivitieshavep
6、roducedBritishforeignpolicy.Suchformalfactorshaveincludedthebureaucraticstructure,institutionalmindset,andleadershipoftheForeignandCommonwealthOffice(FCO),otherpertinentministries(i.e.,Treasury,MinistryofDefence,BoardofTrade,andvariousintelligenceservices),thePrimeMinister’soffi
7、ce,andtheCabinet.Parliamentshaveputtheirmarkonforeignpolicyformationaswell.JohnYounghasalsopointedtoparticularvaluesprevalentinCovarrubiastext.indd19/09/200715:5:404StrategicInterestsintheMiddleEastBritishpolicymakingcirclesthatstressdefenseofliberaldemocracy,therightsofindivi
8、duals,andpropertyrights.Mingledwiththesealtruis