The death of Global Britain? A new normal in UK foreign policy
Professor Richard Whitman, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Global Europe Centre, University of Kent
Tuesday, 6 June 2023 5:40pm - 7:00pm
Wellington
Rutherford House, Lecture Theatre 2 (RHLT2), Victoria University of Wellington, Pipitea Campus, 33 Bunny Street, Wellington
Global Britain was the slogan adopted by the UK government in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum to signal that the country was leaving the EU but not exiting an international role.
In the aftermath of Brexit, negotiating a new relationship as a third country with the EU and defining a role for Britain as a Euro Atlantic power, with an Indo Pacific tilt, to what extent has the UK re-booted its global engagement? And has the UK rediscovered a new role in Europe in the aftermath of Russia’s war on Ukraine?
This talk will explore whether the UK has transitioned to a new post-Brexit foreign policy marked by a diminished rhetoric, with better relationships with neighbours, but with no less of an ambition to see Britain global.
Professor Richard Whitman
Richard G. Whitman is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the Global Europe Centre, University of Kent. He is an Associate Fellow and former Head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House. Professor Whitman is currently a Senior Fellow on the Economic and Research Council’s UK in a Changing Europe initiative.
His current research interests include the foreign and security and defence policies of the UK and the EU. He is the author and editor of eleven books and published over sixty academic articles and book chapters on European integration and UK foreign and security policy.
Professor Whitman is a regular international media commentator. Recent coverage has included BBC radio and television, Sky, ITV, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC and he has been quoted by print publications including The Economist, The Financial Times, Newsweek, Reuters, the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal. He has regularly been called to give evidence to the UK Parliament on UK and EU foreign and security issues.
He held the British Academy and Leverhulme Michael Dockrill Senior Research Fellowship in British Foreign Policyin 2022. Elected as a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 2007 he is a former Chair of the British International Studies Association (BISA) and was lead editor of the Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS) between 2017 and 2022.
Please note, Old Government Building, Lecture Theatre 2 (GBLT2) has wheelchair access.
Global Britain was the slogan adopted by the UK government in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum to signal that the country was leaving the EU but not exiting an international role.
In the aftermath of Brexit, negotiating a new relationship as a third country with the EU and defining a role for Britain as a Euro Atlantic power, with an Indo Pacific tilt, to what extent has the UK re-booted its global engagement? And has the UK rediscovered a new role in Europe in the aftermath of Russia’s war on Ukraine?
This talk will explore whether the UK has transitioned to a new post-Brexit foreign policy marked by a diminished rhetoric, with better relationships with neighbours, but with no less of an ambition to see Britain global.
Professor Richard Whitman
Richard G. Whitman is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the Global Europe Centre, University of Kent. He is an Associate Fellow and former Head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House. Professor Whitman is currently a Senior Fellow on the Economic and Research Council’s UK in a Changing Europe initiative.
His current research interests include the foreign and security and defence policies of the UK and the EU. He is the author and editor of eleven books and published over sixty academic articles and book chapters on European integration and UK foreign and security policy.
Professor Whitman is a regular international media commentator. Recent coverage has included BBC radio and television, Sky, ITV, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC and he has been quoted by print publications including The Economist, The Financial Times, Newsweek, Reuters, the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal. He has regularly been called to give evidence to the UK Parliament on UK and EU foreign and security issues.
He held the British Academy and Leverhulme Michael Dockrill Senior Research Fellowship in British Foreign Policyin 2022. Elected as a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 2007 he is a former Chair of the British International Studies Association (BISA) and was lead editor of the Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS) between 2017 and 2022.
Please note, Old Government Building, Lecture Theatre 2 (GBLT2) has wheelchair access.
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