Mark Malloch Brown

The former second in charge to Kofi Annan at the UN has just joined the Brown administration as Minister for Africa, Asia, and the UN. Will his appointment reflect a genuine shift towards multilateralism, respect for international law and a more compassionate British foreign policy? Obviously, impossible to tell at this early stage. But already some significant indicators. The man some (in the media) have branded Saint Mark has an ego the size of the UN building in New York. For example in this interview he spends considerable time praising himself, at one point going as far as to say that he will be "the wise eminence" behind the young new Foreign Secretary. Some more factoids:

Britain should be less attached to the US and take a more multilateralist approach.

He opposes the term "War on Terror" and the characterisation of terrorism as Muslim.

Even though he did not support the invasion, Malloch Brown supports a continued US and UK presence in Iraq.

He believes Hamas is "threatening the annihilation of its neighbour." A clear tick to the US/Israel status quo then.

History teaches us to be skeptical of people like Malloch Brown. At the very least, in electing him, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is trying to distance himself from the Iraq war and the subservience of the UK to the US under Blair. But whether there is more to this than just PR remains to be seen.