Leggevo la trascrizione dell'intervento di William Hague, Ministro degli Esteri del Governo Ombra britannico, presso il Royal United Services Institute di Londra ed ovviamente non poteva non colpirmi il passaggio dedicato alla necessità di creare un vero e proprio National Security Council in riva al Tamigi.
Afferma Hague:
"An effective British foreign policy will require, however, a great deal more than a rejuvenated Foreign Office and this brings me to the five vital themes which are at the heart of our approach.
The first of these themes is learning from past mistakes to improve the decision-making of British government. Again, the processes of government are not sufficient on their own to achieve our objectives, but getting those processes right is a fundamental requirement, particularly in an area of policy where unexpected events occur so frequently (…).
What has emerged so far in the Iraq inquiry has greatly strengthened the case for a further proposal we have advanced for some years; the creation of a true National Security Council at the heart of British government, chaired by the Prime Minister or in his absence by the Foreign Secretary and bringing together on a very regular basis the work of the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development and Ministers responsible for other relevant matters such as energy security and cyber security.
This will not be a new department but it will be a powerful centre of decision-making, supported by its own secretariat and by a high-ranking official designated as the government's National Security Adviser. It will be supported by a cross-departmental committee of permanent secretaries of the relevant departments ensuring that the planning and co-operation necessary for the Security Council to function effectively is taking place.
It is true that the Prime Minister did set up in July 2007 a National Security Committee of the Cabinet, seemingly in response to this proposal. But this body met only three times in the twenty months that followed and while recently it has met more frequently, it has not be turned into the robust and properly supported structure that is needed (…).
In our new government, if elected, decisions about national security and international relations will be taken together, with the advice of the Armed Services Chiefs, the Intelligence Agencies and the Foreign Office experts available and in meetings which are properly minuted and recorded (…).
t is the National Security Council in a new Conservative government that will conduct the Strategic Defence and Security Review which is so long overdue. We are determined that that review will be foreign policy-led and will form the basis for the thinking and strategy not only of the Ministry of Defence, but of the entire British government. Being foreign policy-led does not, of course, mean that such a review is not financially informed but it does mean that the thinking is done in a properly integrated way."