Foreign policy has dominated successive governments' time in office and cast a consistently long shadow over British politics in the period since 1945. Robert Self provides a readable and incisive assessment of the key issues and events from the retreat from empire through the cold war period to Humanitarian Intervention and the debacle in Iraq.

What was Britain's reaction to the death of Stalin? How has Britain reconciled a modern nuclear strategy with its traditional imperial defence commitments around the world? How has secret intelligence affected the Special Relationship' since 1945? Certain clear questions and perennial themes run through British overseas policy since 1945. This book examines them, drawing on new research by leading historians and scholars in the field.

Based on excerpts from original sources, this book provides an introduction to the controversies and dilemmas that have confronted those making and implementing British defence policy since the end of World War II. Ovendale explores the policy dilemmas caused by Britain's parallel commitments to continental Europe and to a global foreign policy, the legacy of her imperial past. He also examines the decision in 1957 to rely on the nuclear deterrent, abolish conscription and move away from a maritime strategy; and the role of the Treasury in dictating the limits of British defence policy.

This book explores the process by which defence policy is made in contemporary Britain and the institutions, actors and conflicting interests which interact in its inception and continuous reformulation. Rather than dealing with the substance of defence policy, this study focuses upon the institutional actors involved in this process. This is a subject which has commanded far more interest from public, Parliament, government and the armed forces since the protracted, bloody and ultimately unsuccessful British military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work begins with a discussion of two contextual factors shaping policy. The first relates to the impact of Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the United States over defence and intelligence matters, while the second considers the impact of Britain’s relatively disappointing economic performance upon the funding of British defence since 1945. It then goes on to explore the role and impact of all the key policy actors, from the Prime Minister, Cabinet and core executive, to the Ministry of Defence and its relations with the broader ‘Whitehall village’, and the Foreign Office and Treasury in particular. The work concludes by examining the increasing influence of external policy actors and forces, such as Parliament, the courts, political parties, pressure groups and public opinion. This book will be of much interest to students of British defence policy, security studies, and contemporary military history.

A collection of essays by international historians which explore British diplomatic policy in the decade following the end of World War II. Topics include propaganda, atomic policy, Imperial problems, European unity and Britain's response to political crises in the Middle East and Far East.

This book provides a long-term perspective on the opinions of the British public on foreign and defence policy in the post-war era. Thematically wide-ranging, it looks at the broader role of foreign and defence policy in British politics and elections, public opinion towards Britain’s key international relationships and alliances (the United States, NATO, the EU and the Commonwealth), and public opinion towards the projection of ‘soft power’ (overseas aid) and ‘hard power’ (defence spending, nuclear weapons and military intervention). Assessing the main areas of change and continuity in the public’s views, it also pays close attention to the dividing lines in wider society over foreign and defence policy. Analysing an extensive range of surveys and opinion polls, the book situates the analysis in the wider context of Britain’s changing foreign policy role and priorities in the post-war era, as well as linking public opinion with the politics of British external policy – the post-war consensus on Britain’s overseas role, historical and contemporary areas of inter-party debate, and enduring intra-party divides. This text will be of key interest to scholars and students of British politics, European politics, foreign policy analysis, public opinion, defence and security studies and more broadly to comparative politics and international relations.

Mark Curtis shows that, contrary to the impression usually conveyed by both academic writing and press coverage, British policy, in both intention and effect, has been far removed from the principles it has conventionally been assumed to be based on: the pursuit of peace, the promotion of democracy and human rights, and the relief of poverty worldwide.

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 21st 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.“br/> New to this Edition: - Updated coverage of events, including 'the War on Terror' and Brexit - Reformulated analysisto cover the updates inscholarship

British Foreign Policy since 1945 brings a chronological approach to the study of British foreign policy since the Second World War in order to make the principal events and dynamics accessible within a broader historical and cultural context. The key features included in this book: a detailed chronological survey of developments in post-war British politics; an integrated discussion of foreign and domestic policy developments indicating connections and interlocking themes; illustrations of British foreign policy drawn from popular culture; analysis of Britain’s role in the world, particularly in regards to the UK’s 'special relationship' with the US and its decision to leave the EU; a range of in-text features including essay questions and seminar/discussion topics. This timely book will be essential reading for anyone interested in British politics, foreign policy analysis and British history.