章 174: 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."
"Yes, Barron. After we destroyed Saddam's regime, sporadic attacks on Iraq have continued unabated so far. The Prime Minister has hinted that we need more protection 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 talked to him about the current situation in Iraq.
In fact, the Queen celebrates two birthdays every year. April is her private birthday, and June is her official birthday, which requires celebration.
So far, Protector Military Services has sent more than 200 people to Iraq in two batches.
It can be said that the personnel of their company, except for the badges on their uniforms, which are different from those of the regular British Army, are exactly the same as those of the British Army in terms of clothing style, equipment, and even temperament. It is difficult for people who don't know the difference to 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...
Barron would not miss the opportunity to increase Protector's presence in Iraq, so he mentioned this during his chat with the Duke of Westminster.
The Duke of Westminster had no objection to this. After all, relatively speaking, the people of the Protector Company were very good and at least they did not cause any trouble for them.
At the very beginning, Barron emphasized the "military discipline" of the Protector Company after arriving in Iraq.
Although it is certainly impossible to achieve harmonious relations between the military and the people, at least they can be prevented from arbitrarily attacking civilians when it is not necessary - then again, among the coalition forces and the private military contractors they hire, those who can do this can be called "a benevolent and righteous army."
The main reason is not that Barron has a strong sense of "justice", but that he does not want the Protector Company to be like Blackwater, which was kicked out because of too many troubles.
"William, you are really energetic today."
Barron said to Prince William with a smile.
Today the Royal Guards will hold a grand parade and drill at Knight Guards Square, and just now Prince William arrived here in a carriage.
"Haha, Barron, am I not handsome?"
Prince William smiled and said:
"By the way, why did I hear that Beckham is really going to leave Manchester United?"
Hearing William's words, Barron sighed and said:
"I've spoken to him a few times, but he's determined to leave, so it's very likely that he won't be at Old Trafford next season."
"That's a shame."
Barron looked at William with a strange expression:
"As far as I know, you don't seem to be a fan of Manchester United..."
Although it has not been publicly stated so far, Barron knows that the Prince of Wales supports Burnley, while Her Majesty the Queen has said that she supports West Ham United...
As for William...
"You know, I'm an Aston Villa fan, but Cather said she likes Beckham very much, so..."
After saying these words, William spread his hands and gave Barron a look that said "you know what I mean".
It's interesting to say that the Queen, the Crown Prince and Prince William all support teams with burgundy jerseys, and all three teams are founding members of the English Football League…
It seems that they really attach great importance to "bloodline".
Unlike the more relaxed topics he talked about with Prince William, when he met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he said something meaningful to Barron:
"Barron, I have to admit that your talent in business is amazing, but I find that you seem to have invested too much in China..."
"Your Highness, in fact, it is not about where I invest, but where I can 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. It will be the most promising region in the world at this time. If you see this and don't invest, I will not forgive myself."
"But after all, their system..."
"The Cold War is over long ago, Your Highness."
Barron shook his head and said,
"To be honest, I really can't stand our current policy. In my heart, the interests of Great Britain should always be put first, rather than following America's footsteps just to protect their interests. In many cases, we even lose more than we gain."
"Barron, sometimes you can't just look at the economic benefits. Many things are not that simple."
"That being said, we have lost a lot of strategic wisdom since World War II. I don't see the Great Britain that once tried to maintain a balance from any of its prime ministers. Instead, each one of them is becoming more and more like the British governor of America..."
Perhaps Barron's words were a bit harsh. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince frowned slightly, and after a long time, he sighed helplessly.
Barron knows the future pattern based on the development of the original time and space, but he is not worried that his increasing investment in China will cause dissatisfaction among others.
After all, in his public attitude, Barron himself is a very clear "multilateralist". Just like what he said to the Crown Prince just now, Britain used to be called a "master of balance". All its foreign policies were to try to avoid one side dominating. When France was strong, it contacted other countries to fight France together; when Germany was strong, it wooed the Soviet Union to fight Germany...
It was only after World War II, after the fall of Churchill, the biggest "prodigal son" in British history, that Britain completely lost the confidence to use this strategy.
You know, even if two countries are enemies, there will still be a group of people who are relatively friendly to the other side, because it is always necessary to transform the relationship between the two sides through them at certain moments.
Even in America, people like Kissinger, who are slightly more inclined to cooperate with China, have always had a certain influence.
In Britain, Barron is not too obviously pro-China, but rather exists as a "multilateralist" - his principle is that the interests of Britain come first, and cooperating with anyone who can bring benefits is what should be done.
Well, at least on the surface.
Anyway, in his heart, his own interests are the interests of Britain.
In fact, the relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the government, especially the Labour Party, has not been particularly good.
Therefore, he felt that Barron's undisguised complaints about the Prime Minister in front of him were a little harsh and did not take it too seriously.
After all, they are the British, and it is the British who complain about Britain the most.
They have long been accustomed to this.
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