Category: Commentary

Britain imagines itself as a nation built on past influence, once spanning every corner of the globe. From the long shadow of the Pax Britannica to the blueprints of post-war international order, Britain has often acted as a core architect in the structure of global affairs. In recent decades, Britain’s  ability to act strategically has …

Read more “Foreign Policy Begins at Home: Britain’s Domestic Weakness as Strategic Risk”

Earlier this month, I was travelling down to London. There were a few items on the agenda: an interview lined up during the week, a crisis simulation hosted by RUSI, and enjoying time spent with friends paired with cold drinks and warm weather. While the latter held most of my attention, RUSI’s crisis simulation was …

Read more “Crisis and Resilience”

The litany of crises that plague the United Kingdom dig deep into historic divisions that impact its foreign policy. The overwhelming influence of London’s financial service sector on the world stage as compared to the rest of the country. The fractured love-hate relationship with Europe which has caused multiple constitutional crises. Even the inability of …

Read more “The Ungovernables: Foreign Policy Impacts for Britain”

When we think about the UK on the global stage, we often default to institutions such as Parliament, trade agreements, or foreign policy doctrines. But at forums like the G20, representation is not just institutional, it is deeply human. It is shaped by who sits in the room, what they carry with them, and how …

Read more “What the UK Brings to the Table: Reflections on Representation, Diversity, and Diplomacy from the Y20”

The tensions between the practicalities of consensus, including accommodating certain members’ views, and the principle of addressing current, global crises based on shared values have been particularly clear at the G7 this year.  As a Y7 representative of UK youth on ecological crises to the G7, I was responsible for representing the views of young …

Read more “Practicalities and Principles: Why the G7 Struggles with Climate Change”

Kerosene is part of an indispensable group of molecules imported to fuel British air travel. Given that much of the world’s economy depends on it, it would be no surprise to find that open conflict in the Gulf—the world’s largest concentration of transiting hydrocarbons—has challenged supply to Trumpian levels of deprivation. The United Kingdom’s Department …

Read more “Flying Jets in Modern Directions”

Editor’s Note: This piece was uploaded under the editor’s name but was authored by a contributor identifying as David. In Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, de Tocqueville argued that American institutions are not simply held up by law, but through a multifaceted and complex relationship between the separation of powers, popular engagement in direct …

Read more “Multipolarity in an Undemocratic World”

Britain’s relationship with the Middle East has been one of the most enduring yet strangely unsettled parts of its foreign policy since the end of the Second World War, and maybe even before that if one looks at the shadows of empire that lingered too long. From the slow dismantling of its imperial presence to …

Read more “Britain and the Middle East: Influence, Constraints, and Strategic Recalibration in a Changing Region”

Author’s Note: This piece was written as part of BIGA’s new partnership with EPIS, a student-led think tank in Europe who support discussion and debate from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Be sure to check out their work! During a spring day in Washington D.C., in April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. …

Read more “Balancing Act: What Post-Brexit Britain Can Learn From the Past”

As he began his speech, Prime Minister Starmer set out the dangers of a more threatening Russia with a stronger industrial base and the ability to employ malicious tactics below the threshold of war. Then there was a pause. Starmer had a small, wry smile as he said: “To break the convention of a thousand …

Read more “The Road Ahead”