John McCain has vowed to make the US a model “international citizen” by working with other countries to tackle challenges such as terrorism and global warming, distancing himself from the perceived unilateralism of the Bush administration reports the Financial Times.

The Republican presidential candidate made the pledge ahead of his arrival in London on Wednesday as part of a weeklong international trip intended to burnish his foreign policy credentials and signal his commitment to multilateralism.

Writing in the Financial Times, Mr. McCain promised to “listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies“and renew the “mutual respect and trust” between the US and Europe.

“Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed,” he said.

“When we believe that international action is necessary, whether military, economic or diplomatic, we will try to persuade our friends that we are right. But we, in return, must also be willing to be persuaded by them.”

Mr McCain has adopted a hawkish tone on the presidential campaign trail, vowing to remain on the offensive against terrorism and keep US troops in Iraq.

But the Arizona senator has broken from President George W. Bush by promising to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba and repudiating the use of harsh interrogation techniques, such as simulated drowning, against terrorist suspects.

Read it here: McCain pledges multilateralism