Since returning to politics in November last year and "demoting himself" as British Foreign Secretary, Cameron's exposure has become more and more prominent, especially in the influence of international issues, and his limelight has even overshadowed Prime Minister Sunak.
On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Cameron has shown an extremely tough stance. He dares to say all kinds of hard words and make any kind of decisions, and on the issue of international strategic games, he is even suspected of "overstepping his bounds."
In just half a year since his comeback in politics, Cameron has visited Ukraine twice, especially during his second visit to Kyiv, Cameron made astonishing tough remarks against Russia, which provoked several celebrities in Russia to attack him angrily.
During a visit to Kyiv at the beginning of the month, Cameron said that Ukraine has the right to strike back against Russia and supports Ukraine's use of British weapons to attack targets in Russia's territory.
Regarding Cameron's remarks, Zakharova said that this is Britain using the hands of Ukraine to start a war against Russia. Peskov believes that Cameron's remarks are arching the war between NATO and Russia.
Medvedev even posted on social media mocking Cameron and Britain, and hinted that if war broke out, he would "nuclear attack" London. To this, Cameron responded: Don't think that only your territory is vast, and the civilized world is our depth.
Cameron's response not only "scared" Medvedev back, but also skillfully refuted a long-standing assertion in the field of public opinion, that is, if it comes to nuclear war, Russia will win, while Britain and France will lose.
To put it bluntly, when the court of public opinion is full of claims that Russia will win a nuclear war "because of its large area and broad depth", many people do not know how to refute this obviously illogical assertion more forcefully. After all, some countries are really small in size. Cameron's answer wisely solves this "depth" problem.
In fact, Cameron's statement has two meanings. The first is the "binding principle" of nuclear war. The second is the fact of "group beating". It has to be said that Cameron's intelligent response is worthy of his title of "Oxford Scholar".
In fact, some analysts believe that Cameron's "comeback" this time is for this Russian-Ukrainian war. In other words, he is helping his Oxford classmate Johnson fulfill his wish, that is, to support Ukraine and take down Russia. Otherwise, why would he demote himself to the post of foreign secretary seven years after he retired from politics?
Obviously, Cameron's comeback should not be for the prime minister's salary. Because, according to Johnson, the prime minister's little salary simply cannot support his children. Therefore, some analysts believe that there are three reasons for Cameron's comeback:
First, the UK has reached a critical period of strategic transformation. And Prime Minister Sunak, who is of Indian origin, clearly cannot fully understand the Anglo-Saxon strategy of "offshore balancing". It takes someone who is well versed in British strategic concepts and has a lot of experience to steer the direction. It is clear that among the current conservative political elite in the UK, Cameron is the most suitable.
Second, British Prime Minister Sunak is good at economics and has a soft personality, and is a little "domineering and lacking" on the international stage, while Cameron, who has been prime minister for 6 years and is tall, obviously has more experience and effect in "town".
The third is that Cameron is completing his unfinished business for Johnson: that is, to support Ukraine to win this war. And why did Cameron do it? There are two reasons: one is that Johnson and Cameron are called the "Oxford Twin Heroes" of British conservatives, and the two brothers have a good relationship and similar ideas. The second is that Cameron owes Johnson a "favor".
Johnson and Cameron both graduated from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, although they are not in the same class (Johnson is two levels higher than Cameron), but the two met in school and became "best friends". Therefore, when Cameron became the leader of the Conservative Party in 2005, he immediately appointed Johnson as the secretary of state for education in the "shadow cabinet".
It was with Cameron's "support" that Johnson's talent was displayed and recognized, so Johnson later ran for mayor of London successfully and was re-elected. Since then, Johnson's people-friendly and "funny" image has become a topic of conversation in the UK. and laid the groundwork for him to become prime minister later.
Six years as prime minister speaks volumes about Cameron's talent and ability. However, Cameron has one of the biggest shortcomings, that is, he does not dare to "give it a go" when encountering thorny domestic problems. For example, after he provoked the "Brexit referendum" and passed it unexpectedly, he did not dare to force it forward in the face of domestic opposition and pressure from within Europe, so he gave up the post of prime minister and "walked".
After Cameron "slipped away", Theresa May was put on the shelves, but in three years, Prime Minister May did nothing, resulting in no progress on the "Brexit" issue. Therefore, Cameron couldn't sit still, after all, it was the "disaster" he caused and his "heart disease". So, Cameron privately approached Johnson and asked Johnson to "help". And Johnson "just had that intention".
After the "Oxford Double" hit it off, Cameron used his conservative connections accumulated as prime minister for six years to support Johnson's successful election as leader of the Conservative Party, thus entering 10 Downing Street. After coming to power, Johnson "tied" "Brexit" to the post of prime minister with a ship-wrenching mentality, "subdued" the "Remain" faction and the EU in Britain at one time, and completed the "Brexit" procedure without danger.
Johnson's completion of Cameron's unfinished "Brexit" ambition is equivalent to removing a piece of Cameron's "heart disease". Therefore, Cameron owes Johnson a "favor", and naturally he has to "pay it back".
In terms of talent, ability and strategic thinking, Johnson has no problem, and his strategic foresight is even no less than that of Churchill. However, talented people are often also equally prominent in their "shortcomings". For example, freedom and looseness are Johnson's "soft underbelly". So, a "party" and other casual behavior during the pandemic forced Johnson to resign as prime minister.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Johnson quickly made a judgment that Ukraine could not be defeated, and put it into practice. Therefore, among the leaders of Western powers, Johnson was the first to tell Zelensky on the phone: insist, help will come immediately. It is obvious that it gave confidence to the Kyiv regime.
Johnson was also the first leader of a major Western power to visit Kyiv in the midst of the war, which led to the emergence of the phenomenon of "punching in Kyiv". In terms of offensive weapons assistance to Ukraine, it was Johnson who took the lead. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Johnson's "rhythm", what would the current situation in Ukraine look like? So, even after stepping down, Kiev still respects Johnson very much.
Marked by the start of the Russian army's counteroffensive in October last year and the resistance of the "aid plan to Ukraine" in the United States, the voices of "the West will abandon Ukraine" and "Ukraine is about to collapse" filled the field of public opinion. In the long run, Britain's strategy will be "wasted" and Johnson's hard work will be in vain. So, Johnson found Cameron to "return the favor" and asked him to "go out of the mountain" to help Sunak control the strategic game and grasp the "rhythm" of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Why did Johnson let Cameron "out of the mountain"? Why did Cameron say yes? Because Cameron understands strategy, because Cameron is familiar with the European Union, because Cameron is close to the United States, because Cameron and Johnson have similar ideas, and because Cameron has "held back for seven years" and has also come up with "values". As a result, in November 2023, Cameron became British Foreign Secretary as a former prime minister.
Cameron went to Kyiv on his first foreign trip after serving as foreign secretary, and after returning, he encouraged Prime Minister Sunak and Zelensky to sign a ten-year "UK-Ukraine Security Treaty". Cameron also made a special trip to Washington and had a "heart-to-heart talk" with US House Speaker Johnson in a joint article to put pressure on the United States. During his stay in the United States, Cameron paid a special visit to Trump and persuaded Trump not to stop blocking the passage of the "aid package for Ukraine".
More importantly, Cameron's announcement as foreign minister that Ukraine would be allowed to use British weapons to attack targets in Russia has also shown that he is not afraid of nuclear threats. It is clear that Cameron's tough stance on Russia is the same as Johnson's. It's about doing what Johnson didn't do.
Johnson has settled the "Brexit" problem for Cameron, and Cameron is now helping Johnson fulfill his wish. I have to say that this pair of "Oxford Shuangjie" is really "good brothers".