Britain In The World
A Policy Exchange Project
Latest Publications
After Brexit: Will Ireland be next to exit?
Ray BassettIn a flagship new report for Policy Exchange, former senior Irish Ambassador Ray Bassett argues that a failure to reach a benign compromise between the EU and the UK in Brexit negotiations risks seriously damaging the Irish economy. So far, the Irish Government has sided firmly with the EU27, but Bassett believes this may be a mistake given how intimately the Irish and British economies are connected. In the event of the UK leaving the Customs Union and the Single Market, Ireland may be forced to follow suit, potentially even seeking its own “Irexit”.
The UK and the Western alliance: NATO in the new era of realpolitik
John Bew and Gabriel ElefteriuA new paper from Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World project, examining the future of NATO. The paper argues that current events, from Russian aggression to the EU’s internal politics, mean that NATO is weakening at a time when security challenges are growing
The Cost of Doing Nothing: The Price of Inaction in the Face of Mass Atrocities
Jo Cox, Tom Tugendhat, John Bew and Alison McGovernThis report is based on work begun by Jo Cox MP (1974-2016) and Tom Tugendhat MP. It was completed by Alison McGovern MP and Tom Tugendhat MP
“There are few more complex questions than when to intervene overseas. Jo Cox was an inspirational humanitarian who cared deeply about preventing violence and protecting people around the world. It is a fitting part of Jo’s legacy that this paper will challenge politicians of all parties to consider how we can put such considerations at the heart of the decisions we take.” (Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Prime Minister.
Latest Blogs
The return of the internationalists? Unpacking Labour’s position on foreign policy.
Last week, Chuka Umunna spoke to Chatham House in a much-needed intervention on the state of British foreign policy.
In recent years, the British foreign policy debate has not kept up with the pace of global political and economic change. For that reason alone, there was much to commend in Umunna’s sense of urgency. To adapt to the challenges of the twenty-first century, as he put it, “we need to look ahead and develop a proper national strategy on the basis of a clear understanding of what our interests are”.
DExEU’s paper on post-Brexit UK-EU security and defence cooperation: a question of influence
National Security Fellow Gabriel Elefteriu responds to the launch of the Government’s new paper on UK-EU security and defence cooperation after Brexit. The paper is a welcome starting point in efforts to improve the “mood music”, given recent acrimony in Brexit negotiations. It is right to stress areas of common interest with the EU27 and the UK’s vital role in European security, which is likely to continue for many years. However, there are still questions to answer about the proposed “deep and special relationship” with the EU, and how this is to be squared with renewed efforts to reinvigorate the NATO alliance.
After the North Korean crisis
Britain in the World Research Fellow Gabriel Elefteriu discusses further implications of the North Korea crisis, noting that there is “no historical precedent for the present crisis, and attempting to apply ‘lessons’ from the past is extremely dangerous in these circumstances.” War “could be catastrophic in material and geopolitical terms, with incalculable evolutions and consequences” but the crisis is likely to force the US to devote even more resources to the Pacific, with consequences for its strategic posture in other parts of the world.
Latest News
Niall Ferguson compares balance of power to Congress of Vienna at Policy Exchange’s Anglo-American conference
Professor Niall Ferguson, who spoke at the launch of Policy Exchange’s new Anglo-American project, argued that the best historical analogy for the current balance of powers is with the pentarchy of five great powers that dominated European (and hence world) affairs for a century after the Congress of Vienna of 1814-15. A modern pentarchy was created in the form of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Professor Ferguson argues that “Whether or not these five great powers can make common cause once again is the great geopolitical question of our time.”
Policy Exchange’s John Bew wins 2017 Elizabeth Longford Prize
Policy Exchange is delighted to congratulate Professor John Bew, Head of our Britain in the World project, as his outstanding biography of Clement Attlee won the 2017 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography.
Policy Exchange’s John Bew wins Orwell Prize
Policy Exchange is delighted to congratulate Professor John Bew, Head of our Britain in the World project, after his outstanding biography of Clement Attlee last night won the prestigious Orwell Prize.
Latest Events
US foreign policy under the new President
Nov 10, 2016Held at Policy Exchange on 10 November, this event featured Walter Russell Mead and Sir Nigel Sheinwald GCMG
What Would Clem Do?
Oct 11, 2016‘Citizen Clem’, the new biography of Clement Attlee, written by John Bew, head of Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World project, provides the focus for a panel discussion on Labour’s past and future
East or West: where does the future of UK Foreign Policy lie?
Sep 14, 2016Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World Project examines the UK’s relationship with Asia and the opportunities and challenges post-Brexit. With Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs columnist of the Financial Times and Con Coughlin, Defence Editor of the Daily Telegraph
