This article explores how New Labour has attempted to implement its ideas about a ‘third way’ foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Through an examination of British foreign policy practices, we explore whether New Labour has succeeded in finding a ‘third way’ between traditional views of socialism and capitalism in Africa. In particular, the article focuses on New Labour's attempts to build peace, prosperity and democracy on the African continent. We conclude that although New Labour's claims to add an ‘ethical dimension’ to foreign policy have succeeded in giving Britain a higher profile in the international arena, the implementation of such a policy is intrinsically difficult. These difficulties in turn arise from the antinomies embodied in New Labour's policy, or more specifically from the tension between the liberal internationalism of the third way and traditional concerns for the national interest, as well as the contradictions inherent in a commitment to both political and economic liberalism.
这篇文章探讨了新工党如何试图在撒哈拉以南非洲实施其关于“第三条道路”外交政策的想法。通过对英国外交政策实践的审查,我们探讨新工党是否成功地在非洲传统社会主义和资本主义观念之间找到了一种“第三条道路”。特别是,文章关注新工党在非洲大陆上建立和平、繁荣和民主的努力。我们得出结论,尽管新工党声称在外交政策中增加了“道德维度”成功地使英国在国际舞台上更加引人注目,但这种政策的实施本质上是困难的。这些困难反过来源于新工党政策所体现的矛盾,更具体地说,源于第三条道路的自由国际主义与对国家利益的传统关注之间的紧张关系,以及对政治和经济自由主义的承诺中固有的矛盾。