044 - London's attempts to implement ‘Global Britain’ concept failed

PREFACE/ISSUE

Was the attack on Nordstream a part of London´s "Global Britain" post Brexit foreign policy?

This post explores how UK changed its foreign and defence policy before and after the Nordstream affair.

Gray zone' is a kind of confrontational strategy below the threshold of war.
 

The UK is an active practitioner of this strategy.

SUMMARY:

Analysis show that the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline was a UK state-sponsored operation, motivated by post-Brexit foreign policy aims to weaken Russia and transform the European energy framework. This theory is substantiated by examining shifts in UK policies and military capabilities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Post-Brexit, the UK faced a significant loss of influence in Europe, primarily due to its withdrawal from the EU's military and foreign policy frameworks. At the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020, the UK formally withdrew from EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its offshoot, the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). This situation necessitated a strategic recalibration of its foreign policy, which increasingly adopted a confrontational posture towards Russia.  

Global Britain in competitive age: The UK government’s vision for Global Britain aims to restore British greatness as a maritime trading nation. In an attempt to reconcile global ambitions with limited means, the review from February 2021, together with an accompanying Defence Command Paper, emphasizes secret intelligence, special operations forces, and offensive cyber capabilities. They will be used to disrupt, deter, deny, and degrade Britain’s adversaries. All are tools of force multiplication; the power of the hidden hand will allow Britain to do more with less. 

Unshackled: In March 2021 London was “unshackled from the corpse that is the EU,” as Brexiteers dramatically put it. The United Kingdom was now free to seek its destiny as “Global Britain.”

Redefining European energy market: One year after that Boris Johnson sets another goal: "We need to wean the West off Russian oil and gas."

Global Britain: The UK's 'Global Britain' initiative significantly reshaped its post-Brexit foreign policy towards Russia by emphasizing a more confrontational stance, aimed at weakening Russian influence and securing its position on the global stage. Following Brexit, the UK sought to redefine its strategic role, leading to increased military cooperation with NATO and enhanced capabilities for covert operations. This context reveals a shift towards "gray zone" strategies, which involve actions below the threshold of war to disrupt adversaries without direct conflict.

Covert operations: As part of the 'Global Britain' initiative, the UK enhanced several specific covert operations, primarily by emphasizing the role of intelligence and special operations forces. The Integrated Review outlines that the UK will prioritize secret intelligence and offensive cyber capabilities, aiming to disrupt, deter, deny, and degrade adversaries without engaging in full conflict. These operations include precision strike capabilities and covert surveillance in hostile environments, allowing British forces to operate below the threshold of war to disrupt hostile states effectively. 

The failure: In March 2023 Westminster withdrew the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), it promised that Britain would have global reach. 

London's attempts to implement the concept of ‘Global Britain’ after leaving the European Union have failed.