ROLE OF THE FCO

The Role of the FCO in the Contemporary World System

Table of Contents

Introduction2

Main Role of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs3

The Role of the FCO in UK Government7

Relationship between Domestic Politics and Foreign Affairs in the Contemporary International System9

Role of the FCO in the Contemporary World System12

International Relations of UK in the Contemporary International System13

UK's Parliamentary Supremacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs15

References18

The Role of the FCO in the Contemporary World System

Introduction

For this assignment I have decided to concentrate on only one of the hundreds of Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) from around the world; the United Kingdom's Government calls their MFA the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) the department's history is briefly outlined below. The present day FCO has evolved a great deal and has witnessed its structure, role and political importance change many times. The modern day FCO is made up of over 14,000 people in nearly 270 diplomatic offices around the world and covers nearly every country in the world. The FCO has many strings to its bow from travel advice and replacing lost passports whilst abroad to helping to fight the war against terrorism on many levels. It is my aim to try and explain and prioritise the more important roles and responsibilities, in order to enable me to better explain what I believe to be the main role of the FCO in the contemporary world (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2012).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the government department that deals with Britain's relations with foreign and Commonwealth countries. It was formed in 1968 from the amalgamation of the Commonwealth Office (established by the merger in 1966 of the Commonwealth Relations Office and the Colonial Office) and the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office developed from the office of the secretary of state for foreign affairs, which was established in 1782 to replace the Northern Department (compare Home Office). The FCO, which includes, the Diplomatic Service and the Overseas Development Administration, is headed by the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs (the foreign secretary).The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or 'the Foreign Office' for short - is the government department responsible for promoting British interests overseas and supporting our citizens and businesses around the globe. There are many views of what the role of the FCO actual is and below are a couple that I have found, one being quite straight forward and to the point and the other not quite so. In all its activities - reactive and proactive - the Foreign Office has two distinct roles, one abroad, the other in Whitehall; abroad, there is no problem of definition. Put at its simplest, the Diplomatic Service is at the coal face flying the flag around the world and is Her Majesty's government's representative in every capital (Hakim, 2002). Its function is to conduct the policies of the government around the world, look at how the policies of other countries could or are affecting the UK, assist British citizens, and champion ...