Morteza Makki told the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations that the fuel shortage crisis in Britain would not create a direct impact on the foreign approaches of that country.

He said “it is true that fuel is the lifeblood of modern and urban societies today, but important European countries enjoy the experience of overcoming these crises; This is not the first time Britain has faced a fuel crisis. It had previously faced this crisis for various reasons, such as strikes by petrol stations or truck drivers.”

This expert of European affairs assessed the current fuel crisis in Britain from several angels different from previous crises. He said “the crisis was not caused by fuel shortages or strikes, but by British policies. One of these policies is to leave the European Union, and of course, the consequences of the Corona crisis, which prevented the normal process of testing for truck drivers, should also be considered. Dealing with this crisis is not the same as in the past, which were resolved by giving concessions to the truckers’ union or a series of agreements between the government and the unions.”

Hard conditions for the people of UK in coming months

Referring to the shortage of labor force in the UK as the result of Brexit, Makki said that this crisis can create more difficult conditions in the next months for the people of the UK in terms of fuel for vehicles and even energy for warming houses in winter and cold season.

He added that this crisis is an internal matter and will create difficult conditions for the British people and will not have a direct impact on the macro approaches of this country, especially on its foreign policy.

Pointing to the many problems British people will face after the Brexit in terms of addressing their needs, he said Brexit supporters were certainly aware that leaving the EU would have consequences. That’s why the negotiations lasted about five years. Even the supporters of Brexit did not reject these challenges, but considered them controllable and manageable. For this reason, the Conservatives now in power in Britain are seeking a comprehensive agreement with the European Union to control the post-Brexit situation.

Increasing criticism against the Tories

Makki said these challenges would not create problem for the realization of the demands of the UK in line with the Global Britain plan, adding that if British officials had not anticipated such challenges and circumstances, they would not have sought an agreement with the European Union to enter the European market, but the Conservative British government had not made the necessary arrangements to prevent such a crisis and would be severely criticized.

This expert of European issues emphasized that the British government will face serious difficulties as long as it can manage the challenges of leaving the EU, and it will take time to overcome these challenges, and the consequences should not be expected to end quickly after a year of leaving the EU. Perhaps this crisis will create an experience for the conservative British government to act more quickly to manage the challenges of leaving the EU in order to better manage the fuel shortages and the problems faced by British society in various areas.

He referred to the agreements between the US and Britain over the Global Britain agenda and said more than anything else, Britain seeks to implement the policy of a “global Britain” and will certainly try to establish itself as a great power in Europe and on the world stage after leaving the European Union. The Aukus agreement between Britain, Australia and the United States showed how cleverly the British took advantage of these opportunities.

He added that the European Union, on the other hand, is unlikely to be able to consolidate its position on the world stage due to the lack of a common foreign policy and security agenda, despite Britain’s withdrawal.

Makki referred to some analyses that consider UK as having no choice but to get closer again to the European Union and said this is a factor for non-coordination with the US.

He said that Britain is taking advantage of all the opportunities and advantages to play a global role and define a special place for itself. At the same time, we are witnessing a change in the approaches of the United States, and with this change of approach, Britain is also trying to consolidate its global position by being closer to the United States.

Challenges of UK alignment with the US

“Notwithstanding, the situation in Britain after the Cold War and with the change in US foreign policy priorities is not such that it can cooperate with the United States in all areas. Rather, it will try to use its opportunities in various fields. Britain cannot leave the European Union, and this cooperation with Europe will not be an obstacle to alignment and cooperation with the United States, but at the same time, the United States is a serious opportunity and advantage for Britain to be able to define its global position stronger.”

Makki explained the position of the European Union concerning the crisis of fuel shortages in the UK and said Germany took the first step, with Olaf Schultz, Merkel’s main successor candidate, blaming the crisis on leaving the EU, which was not uncommon, and British officials acknowledged that some 25,000 non-British drivers had left this country!

He added that after the referendum and the lengthy negotiations for the withdrawal, the German and French authorities have always sought to warn the countries and political currents that leaving the union will have serious consequences for them. For Germany and France, therefore, the crisis is an opportunity to remind far-right political parties whose slogan of leaving the union is one of their propaganda programs. Now that Britain, the world’s fifth-largest economy and the European Union’s second largest economy, is facing such a crisis, other countries will certainly find themselves in a more difficult position if they leave the EU.