Britain against the world? foreign and security policy in the 'age of Brexit'

Few events demand a wholesale reset of key policies. But Brexit is one of them. The foreign policy challenges arising for both Britain and its European partners are considerable.

This submission looks first at the ambiguous overlap of internal and external dynamics constituting contemporary foreign policy, to explore just how much of these time-honoured structures of foreign policy will indeed have to change with Brexit. Three possible formats of British engagement with European foreign policy making structures are then suggested, ranging from the maintenance of an integrated position, to a case-specific ‘associate’ status, to total removal from the terrain of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. Any of these options suggest both positive and negative options for the UK. These are briefly considered in the conclusion, from ongoing participation that could boost the EU’s Common and Security Defence Policy and its development policy to recalibrations that could destabilise the European Neighbourhood Policy or undermine the emergent EU Global Strategy.

The times, as we’re reminded by Nobel laureate Bob Dylan, they are indeed a-changin’.