Tim Oliver

European and international views of Brexit

ABSTRACT A British withdrawal from the European Union (EU) would change Britain, the EU, the politics and security of Europe and the place of all three in the international system. To explore these possible changes, this article draws on a series of commissioned analyses that look at the views of Brexit in other EU member states and select third countries outside the EU. Specifically, it examines and maps out the prevailing ideas of what the aforementioned changes could entail. It argues that ideas connected to European unity and integration will define how a Brexit is managed.

Special relationships in flux: Brexit and the future of the US–EU and US–UK relationships

A British exit from the EU would add to growing strains on the United States’ relations with Britain and the rest of Europe, but by itself would not lead to a breakdown in transatlantic relations due to the scale of shared ideas and interests, institutional links, international pressures and commitments by individual leaders. It would, however, add to pressures on the US that could change the direction of the transatlantic relationship. From the perspective of Washington, Britain risks becoming an awkward inbetweener, beholden more than ever before to a wider transatlantic relationship where the US and EU are navigating the challenges of an emerging multipolar world. The article outlines developments in the UK, EU, Europe and the US in order to explain what Brexit could mean for the United States’ approaches to transatlantic relations. By doing so the article moves beyond a narrow view of Brexit and transatlantic relations that focuses on the future of UK–US relations. In the conclusion we map out several ways in which US views of the transatlantic relationship could be changed.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been dealing with European integration for over fifty years and has, like the British government in general, demonstrated a mix of enthusiasm and suspicion regarding its evolution. Such a long and close involvement has inevitably had an impact upon the way the FCO operates, the way it sees the world, and how others perceive and work with it. This chapter will concentrate on the impact of European Union (EU) membership on the FCO and on its role in the making and implementation of British foreign policy. Specifically, we assess the extent to which these activities have been Europeanized.

To be or not to be in Europe: is that the question? Britain's European question and an in/out referendum

The idea of holding an in/out referendum on Britains membership of the European Union has increasingly become a norm of British politics, an act seen as a necessary step for the country to answer what David Cameron described as the ‘European question in British politics’. A referendum, it is hoped, will cleanse British politics of a poisonous debate about Europe and democratically sanction a new stable UK–EU relationship, whether the UK stays in or leaves. Such hopes expect more of a referendum than it can provide. The European question is a multifaceted one and whatever the result of a referendum it is unlikely to address underlying questions that will continue to cause problems for UK–EU relations and Britains European debate. A referendum can be a step forward in better managing the relationship and debate, but it is only that: a single step, after which further steps will be needed. Coming to terms with the European question and bringing stability to Britains relations with the EU—whether in or outside the EU—will require comprehensive, longer-term changes which a referendum can help trigger but in no way guarantee.

Europe's British Question: The UK–EU Relationship in a Changing Europe and Multipolar World

Britains often uneasy relationship with the European Union has become increasingly strained, leading to speculation that Britain is—sooner or later—headed towards an in-out referendum that will result in its withdrawal. Such a development would present both Britain and the EU with unprecedented challenges. Britains debate about its future in the EU—its “European question”—creates a “British question” for the EU, the answers to which could change the EUs unity, leadership, prosperity and security with implications for wider European politics and academic analysis of European integration. This article sets out the links between these two questions. It does so by considering what the future of UK–EU relations could mean for the regional politics of Europe in an emerging multipolar order.

Fifty shades of Brexit: Britain’s EU referendum and its implications for Europe and Britain

Abstract Britain’s vote to leave the EU has raised more questions than answers, which is ironic given that David Cameron’s aim for the referendum was to settle the European question in British politics. The outcome, which reflected a range of causes, leaves significant uncertainties overhanging UK politics, UK-EU relations and wider European politics. It is likely that the confused outcome of the referendum and the technicalities of Brexit mean that for both the UK and the EU future relations will resemble fifty shades of grey rather than some black and white division of in or out.

The EU Falling Apart? Theoretical Discussions of Brexit, Grexit and Other Exit Scenarios

The contribution by Tim Oliver studies the theoretical discussions of Brexit, Grexit and other exit scenarios. Oliver starts from the fact that the UK’s vote to leave the European Union has presented the integration project with an unprecedented challenge. What this could mean for the EU has been the subject of increased levels of analysis and speculation, albeit nowhere near as comprehensive as that into what the vote might mean for the UK. One concern is that Brexit signals or could begin the unravelling of the EU, eventually leading to its complete collapse and disintegration. To examine whether or not Brexit will lead to European disintegration, this chapter explores some of the analysis into what Brexit could mean for the EU and then explores some of the theoretical debates about European disintegration.

The future of liberal interventionism in UK foreign policy

The end of Tony Blair’s premiership in 2007 might have been expected to herald the end of a strongly liberal interventionist phase in British foreign policy. Blair had come to be defined by a foreign policy that showed a willingness to back military intervention to prevent human rights violations inside a sovereign member state of the United Nations.

Assessing the Value of Regionally Aligned Forces in Army Security Cooperation: An Overview

This document reports on a study to assist the Army, geographic combatant commands, and the rest of the U.S. Department of Defense in better aligning security cooperation missions with national interests and security goals. In addition, the report provides some recommendations and analytic tools for the Army’s leadership and regionally aligned force planners to improve regionally aligned force implementation.

This is London: life and death in the world city. By Ben Judah

In This is London: Life and Death in the World City , journalist Ben Judah returns to the city in which he was born, immersing himself in intermittently surreal and harrowing encounters in order to discover the various faces of contemporary London. While Judah’s decision to focus on the extremes at times neglects the richness enfolded in the stories of the Londoners whom he meets, Jenny McArthur nonetheless appraises the book as a worthwhile read that attempts to uncover the often unseen experiences of those living in the capital.