Major disagreement over America’s action
THERE were 56 sessions in all at the FT Weekend Festival, but the star of the day was undoubtedly the former prime minister Sir John Major, who sacrificed a morning at the Oval cricket ground to be interviewed by Alex Russell, the FT Weekend editor.
He succeeded Margaret Thatcher in 1990 and remained prime minister until he was beaten by Tony Blair in the 1997 general election. Major joined US president HW Bush – “probably the nicest and most genuine foreign head of government I ever dealt with” – during the first Gulf war against Iraq in 1991 when Saddam Hussein was defeated, but not ousted.
He was scathing about US president Joe Biden and the manner of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was “shameful” that the west had not been able to evacuate all the Afghans to whom it had a direct responsibility. It had also let down young people under 21 who made up more than half the country’s population.
“I find that morally incomprehensible,” Major declared. “It’s also a strategic mistake from a moral viewpoint, when you see young people, particularly young women, burning their western clothes and going back into burkhas and no longer going into work.
“Then you have made a significant life change by a political decision, that in my judgment, did not and should not have been made.”
He reminded his audience why Britain “went into Afghanistan. The Taliban had provided a safe harbour for al-Qaeda to attack America.
“America decided they would take alQaeda out. And the British government said, ‘Of course, you are our greatest ally, we will be with you.’
“I think on the back of the way that began, it was pretty intolerable, suddenly to decide unilaterally that America was pulling out without actually consulting and discussing the matter with their allies. I’m astounded that could have happened. And then when the allies said, ‘No, can you put the date back?’, if they got an answer, it was no.
“It was a very dusty response, indeed. And I would have been pretty angry if that had happened. And I would certainly have tried as hard as I possibly could, both through diplomatic channels, but more importantly, one to one, to try and persuade the president to change [his mind].”
Major said the only way “was for the prime minister to have picked up the phone and spoken to the president and persuaded him to change his mind.
“It would have had to have been a very robust conversation. And I have no doubt that is what I would have attempted to do. And I know, certainly, that’s what Margaret [Thatcher] would have done with Ronald Reagan.”
He did not want to romanticise the “special relationship”.
“The relationship between Britain and the United States is a hard-headed relationship, essentially based on common mutual self-interest.”