United Kingdom
Good vibes only: Can Starmer make the European Political Community work?
After a cold and wet start to the summer, the United Kingdom basked in glorious sunshine last week as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed European leaders to Blenheim…
What next for UK trade relations with the EU?
In line with its cautious approach, UK Labour said very little of note on the European Union during the recent election campaign. However, Sir Keir Starmer did state unequivocally…
The broad Asia‑Pacific ambition for Britain under Labour
It is all change in London. Labour’s landslide victory in the UK election last week saw Sir Keir Starmer enter Number Ten after 14 years of Conservative rule and a fair degree of…
Julian Assange: Some consular cases are more equal than others
The presence at Julian Assange’s final court hearing in Saipan of Australia’s two most senior diplomatic heads of mission – Stephen Smith, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,…
Analyses
Deterring at a distance: The strategic logic of AUKUS
With regional security anxieties rising, nuclear-powered submarines are the optimal deterrence machines.
How to broaden the political gene pool
Book review: But What Can I Do? By Alastair Campbell (Penguin, 2024)Alastair Campbell’s new book is a bestseller across Britain not just because he writes well but also because…
Ukraine gets the green light for strikes in Russia – it was long overdue
“We can repeat” is the slogan used every 9 May when Russians remember the Red Army’s victory in the Second World War. Elsewhere on the continent, Europeans promise “never again”…
Russia conundrum in the Caucasus and beyond
A growing number of former Soviet republics, including Russia’s allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), are distancing themselves from the Kremlin. Moscow…
Opium and the colonial narco-state
Book review: Smoke and ashes: Opium’s hidden histories by Amitav Ghosh (Murray, 2024)
Switching for a while from fiction to fact, Amitav Ghosh has written an account of …
Reverse colonialism? India and Britain’s free trade agreements
As elections loom, India is in free trade agreement mode. Hot on the heels of announcing the signing of a “landmark” deal with a group of non-EU European countries, India has also…