The Contradictions of “Progressive Realism,” and How to Overcome Them

The UK’s Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs has a manifesto for foreign policy he calls “progressive realism.” I have thoughts.

Photo by Andreas ***** on Unsplash

So Labour MP David Lammy has a new piece in Foreign Affairs called, “The Case for Progressive Realism.”

Where his manifesto is punchiest is in its unsparing critiques of British foreign policy:

the Conservative Party has, over 14 years…sank deeply into nostalgia and denial about the United Kingdom’s place in the world. T…