Chapter 174 Multilateralism
"I heard that the British army needs more security personnel in Iraq, Mr. Grosvenor, I believe that the professionalism of the 'Protector' company is obvious to all."
< br>"Yes, Barron, after we destroyed Saddam Hussein's regime, so far there have been no interruptions in sporadic attacks in Iraq, and the prime minister has hinted that we need more defense forces there."
In June, it was the Queen's birthday celebration again. On this day, Barron met the Duke of Westminster in Buckingham Palace, and happened to talk to him about the current situation in Iraq.
Speaking of which, the Queen celebrates two birthdays every year. April is her private birthday, and June is her official birthday and requires celebrations.
Currently, Protector Military Services has sent more than 200 personnel to Iraq in two batches.
It can be said that except for the badges on their military uniforms, which are different from those of the British regular army, other aspects of their clothing styles, equipment, and even temperament are exactly the same as those of the British army. People here can hardly tell the difference between the two.
This is not surprising, after all, most of the personnel of the Protector Company were serving in the British Army not long ago...
And Barron will not let it go. The opportunity to increase Protector's presence in Iraq was brought up when chatting with the Duke of Westminster.
The Duke of Westminster did not have any objection to this. After all, relatively speaking, the personnel of the Protector Company were quite good, at least they did not cause any trouble for them.
From the beginning, Barron emphasized the "military discipline" of the Protector company after arriving in Iraq.
Although it is certainly impossible to achieve harmony between the military and civilians, at least they should be prevented from attacking civilians arbitrarily unless necessary - then again, among the coalition forces and the private military contractors they hired , who can do this can be called a "teacher of benevolence and righteousness".
The main reason is not that Barron has a "sense of justice", but he doesn't want the Protector Company to be like Blackwater, who was kicked out because he caused too many bad things. Get out of there.
"William, you are really energetic today."
Barron said to Prince William with a smile.
Today the Royal Guard will hold a grand parade and drill at the Knights Guards Square, and Prince William has just arrived here in a carriage.
“Haha, Barron, am I not handsome?”
Prince William smiled and said:
“By the way, how did I hear about Beckham? Are you really leaving Manchester United?”
Hearing William’s words, Barron sighed and said:
"I have spoken to him a few times, but he has decided to leave, so it is very likely that he will not appear at Old Trafford again next season."
"That is a real pity. "
Barron looked at William with a strange expression:
"As far as I know, you don't seem to be a fan of our Manchester United..."
Although not so far. It has been stated publicly, but Barron knows that the team supported by the Prince of Wales is Burnley; and Her Majesty the Queen once said that she supports West Ham United...
As for William...
"You know, I am an Aston Villa fan, but Keizer said she likes Beckham very much, so..." William said these words and spread his hands. He gave Barron a "comprehensive" look.
It is also interesting to say that the colors of the teams supported by the Queen, the Crown Prince and Prince William are all burgundy, and these three teams are Founding members of the British Football League...
It seems that they really value "bloodline".
Unlike with Prince William, the topics were relatively relaxed. When he met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he said something meaningful to Barron:
"Barron, I have to admit that you Your talent in business is astonishing, but I find that you seem to have invested a little too much in China..."
"Your Highness, in fact, it doesn't matter where I go. Where to invest, but where to get the most benefits."
Barron was not moved at all and said calmly:
"China is a vast market with 1.3 billion people. , and it is full of vitality and will be the most potential area in the world at this time. If I don’t invest after seeing this, I will not forgive myself.”
"But after all, their system..."
"The Cold War has ended long ago, Your Highness."
Barron shook his head and said:
"Frankly speaking, I really can’t stand our current policies. In my heart, the interests of Great Britain should always come first, instead of following the United States, just to safeguard their interests. Even many times we The gain outweighs the loss.”
“Barron, sometimes we can’t just look at economic benefits. Many things are not that simple.”
"Having said that, since World War II, we have lost too much strategic wisdom. I have not seen the British Prime Minister who once strived to maintain balance. Instead, each of them is becoming more and more like the United States. The British Governor..."
Perhaps Barron's words were a bit harsh. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince frowned slightly, and for a long time, he sighed helplessly.
Barron knows the future pattern based on the development of the original time and space, but for his increasing investment in China, he is not worried about causing dissatisfaction with others.
After all, in his public attitude, Barron himself is a very clear "multilateralist". Just like what he just said to the Crown Prince, the British in the past can be called the "master of balance". The foreign policies of both countries are to avoid domination by one side. When France is strong, it will contact other countries to fight France; when Germany is strong, it will win over the Soviet Union to fight Germany...
But after World War II, after After losing Churchill, the biggest "prodigal son" in British history, Britain completely lost the confidence for this strategy.
You know, even if two countries are enemies of each other, they will still retain a group of people who are friendly to the other side, because they always need to transform the relationship between the two parties at some point.
Even in the United States, figures like Kissinger who are slightly more inclined to cooperate with China have always had a certain influence.
In the UK, Barron will not be too obvious as a "pro-China faction", but will exist as a "multilateralist" - his principle is that the interests of the UK come first , Whoever cooperates with can bring benefits, that is what should be done.
Well, at least that's how it looks on the surface.
Anyway, in his heart, his own interests are the interests of Daying.
In fact, the relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the government, especially the Labor Party, has never been particularly good.
So for Barron's unabashed complaints about the Prime Minister in front of him, he just felt it was a little heavy and didn't take it too seriously.
After all, the British are the ones who complain the most about Britain.
They have long been used to this.
(End of this chapter)