On his return to Whitehall, David Cameron will have found more than enough items of urgent business piling up in his in-tray at the Foreign Office.
This will be the nitty gritty of foreign policy and diplomacy, often day to day humdrum stuff and not the sweeps of strategic vision and grand adventures of last time round when he held sway at Cabinet and the National Security Council.
Jostling for attention are the ballooning crisis in Gaza, Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the war in Ukraine — he is in Kyiv at the moment — now at a turning, if not tipping, point.
For Gaza, the UK is in the awkward position of supporting the Israeli offensive to root out the command and fighting corps of Hamas — but not at all costs. The laws of war, and humanitarian norms, need to be observed. They are getting increasing traction with UK public opinion and this may bring divergence from Washington.
The chaos in Gaza would appear to favour Vladimir Putin and his personal survival plan which is based on a long war for Russia in Ukraine
Britain with its allies in Europe and the Middle East has an important role in providing humanitarian assistance. They must provide as much stability as they can in the short and longer term — including a peace plan which provides self-determination, and civil governance for the Palestinians. And they have to work strenuously to stop the conflict spreading across the region, with a renewed jihadi terror campaign inspired by the ultras of Hamas.
The chaos in Gaza would appear to favour Vladimir Putin and his personal survival plan which is based on a long war for Russia in Ukraine. By wearing down Ukrainians in their homes and the front line, he thinks they will be ready to talk by next spring. The Ukrainian commander General Valerii Zaluzhny has admitted that the fighting on most front lines has reached deadlock now that the summer offensive is over.
Deadlock does not mean stalemate; it can be broken with courage and ingenuity. Ukraine has to acquire and build new sets of weapons to fight the Russians through the winter. Britain has provided ingenious weaponry, and tactical knowhow. Often the kit has been more capable than that given to our own armed forces.
This will be noted at the major 75th anniversary Nato summit in Washington next spring. Memo to Lord Cameron and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps: UK forces need to be better adapted and equipped for the threats now emerging.
