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Abstract
Informed by Winston Churchill’s famous metaphor, successive British governments have shaped their foreign policy thinking around the belief that Britain’s overseas interests lie in three interlocking ‘circles’: in Europe, in the Commonwealth, and in the ‘special relationship’ across the Atlantic. Recent administrations may have updated the language in terms of ‘bridges’, ‘hubs’ and ‘networks’, but the notion of Britain as somehow at the centre of things remains a vital idea. In this updated edition of a classic text, David Sanders and David Patrick Houghton examine British foreign policy since 1945 through the prism of these three circles. Taking account of major developments from the ending of the Cold War, through 9/11 and the so-called War on Terror, to Britain’s historic decision to leave the European Union, it provides a masterly account of Britain’s changing place in the world and of the policy calculations and deeper structural factors that help explain changes in strategy.
Combining chronological narrative with careful consideration of the main theories of foreign policy analysis and international relations, this book provide a reliable and comprehensive introduction to the evolution of British external policy, including economic and defence policy, in the postwar period. Characterized by its accessible style and depth of analysis, and now fully updated in line with twenty-first century developments, Losing an Empire, Finding a Role will remain an invaluable guide to British foreign policy for students of international relations or foreign policy at any level.
Systematically updated to cover developments in the post-Cold War world, this long-awaited new edition of a classic text combines chronological narrative with careful application of a wide range of theoretical perspectives to provide a comprehensive and readable introduction to the evolution and contemporary nature of British foreign policy.
Reviews of 1st edition:
'...[M]asterly and successful... a sophisticated survey of British foreign policy between 1945 and 1988 on a number of levels, combining narrative and theory in a stimulating way, well-structured, full of telling little insights, and written with great clarity.' - Bernard Porter, Political Studies
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | Cover | ||
| Contents | v | ||
| List of Figures | viii | ||
| List of Tables | ix | ||
| Preface | x | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Three Themes: Churchill’s ‘Three Circles’; Realism; and Continuity and Change | 1 | ||
| Continuity and Change in British Foreign Policy after 1945 | 6 | ||
| Britain’s Place in the World | 9 | ||
| The Plan of this Book | 11 | ||
| A Necessary Prerequisite: The Relevance of Foreign Policy Theory | 17 | ||
| Conclusion | 27 | ||
| Chapter 1 British Foreign Policy Traditions | 29 | ||
| The Rise and Fall of British Power | 30 | ||
| The Realist and Idealist Traditions in the 19th Century | 34 | ||
| Britain and World War I | 38 | ||
| Realism versus Idealism in the Interwar Years | 42 | ||
| Britain and World War II | 47 | ||
| The Impact of World War II on British Power | 49 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions: The Roots of Overextension | 53 | ||
| Chapter 2 From Potsdam to Cold War: Relations with Europe and the Superpowers, 1945–55 | 56 | ||
| Britain’s International Position in 1945 | 57 | ||
| Decline and Recovery: The Transformation in Anglo-American Strategic Relations, 1945–48 | 62 | ||
| The Consequences of Anglo-American Interest Convergence, 1946–55 | 67 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 80 | ||
| Chapter 3 The Road to Suez: British Imperialism, 1945–56 | 83 | ||
| Withdrawal: India and Palestine | 84 | ||
| Retrenchment: Malaya, the Caribbean and Africa | 90 | ||
| Retrenchment and Withdrawal: Suez | 96 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 104 | ||
| Chapter 4 The Wind of Change: The Empire Circle after 1956 | 108 | ||
| The Effects of Suez | 109 | ||
| The ‘Second Wave’ Decolonisations: Africa and the Caribbean after 1956 | 111 | ||
| The Withdrawal from ‘East of Suez’ | 118 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 132 | ||
| Chapter 5 The Uncertain Search for a New Role: The European Circle after 1956 | 135 | ||
| Increasing Involvement in the European Circle, 1956–72 | 137 | ||
| Explaining the Shift towards Europe | 141 | ||
| Britain’s Relations with Europe after 1972 | 148 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 164 | ||
| Chapter 6 The Changing ‘Special Relationship’, 1956–2016 | 166 | ||
| Continuity and Change in Anglo-American Relations: Some Explanatory Factors | 191 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 197 | ||
| Chapter 7 The International Economic Dimension | 199 | ||
| The Attempt to Preserve a Dominant World Financial Role, 1945–68 | 201 | ||
| The Shift to a More Reactive Strategy since 1968 | 212 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 226 | ||
| Chapter 8 British Defence Policy | 229 | ||
| Military Strategy and Economic Necessity | 230 | ||
| Defence Policy in the Three Circles since 1945 | 232 | ||
| Winston Churchill and the ‘Global Strategy’ Paper of 1950 | 233 | ||
| Harold Macmillan and the Sandys Review of 1957 | 235 | ||
| The Harold Wilson Government and the ‘East of Suez’ Retreat | 237 | ||
| The Margaret Thatcher Years and the Nott Review of 1981 | 239 | ||
| John Major, the End of the Cold War and the 1990 Review | 242 | ||
| Tony Blair, New Labour and the 1998 Review | 245 | ||
| The Coalition Government, 2010–2015 | 250 | ||
| The Unresolved Status of Britain’s Bomb | 252 | ||
| Defence in an Era of Austerity | 255 | ||
| Chapter 9 The Relevance of Foreign Policy Theory | 258 | ||
| Realist World-Views and the Realist ‘Model’ | 259 | ||
| The Contribution of Other Theoretical Approaches | 274 | ||
| Summary and Conclusions | 285 | ||
| Chapter 10 British Foreign Policy in the 21st Century | 286 | ||
| The Future of British Foreign Policy: Continuity and Change | 288 | ||
| Continued Uncertainty about Strategic Ends | 289 | ||
| The (Strange) Rebirth of the NATO Alliance | 295 | ||
| Reliance on an Ever-Shrinking Military Force | 299 | ||
| A Greater Role For ‘Soft Power’? | 304 | ||
| Conclusion | 306 | ||
| Notes | 308 | ||
| Bibliography | 342 | ||
| Index | 361 |