A fascinating read about Britain's dreams of empire and embarrassing deference to Washington

- Antony Loewenstein, author of <i>The Palestine Laboratory</i>,

This lacerating book lays bare everything from the sanguinary politics of the British defence establishment to the management of venal political proxies in the Middle East.

- Laleh Khalili, author of <i>Sinews of War and Trade</i>,

Stevenson writes vividly of the United States' relentless pursuit of international predominance and Britain's role as its loyal adjutant. An insight-laden exploration.

- Rajan Menon, author of <i>The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention</i>,

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Welcome ... evocative ... Reproduces a style of reportage, highly literary yet historically informed, that harkens back to a bygone era of journalism

- John-Baptiste Oduor, Jacobin

One of the London Review of Books' great essayists ... compelling.

- Richard G. Whitman, International Affairs

SOMEONE ELSE'S EMPIRE dispels the myth of a 'Global Britain' that punches above its weight in the world. The reality, argues Tom Stevenson, is that Britain lacks even the barest outline of an independent foreign policy. The impetus for so many policy decisions, from Iraq to AUKUS, comes from a supine desire to maintain lieutenant rank in the Washington hierarchy, whatever the consequences.

Nostalgia for global influence has produced a compulsive Atlanticism and a reflexive resort to military actions that the UK is near incapable of actually performing. The net effect of Brexit has been an increase in vassalage. Yet for what must ultimately be psychological reasons, British leaders and national security clerks have tended to dislike seeing Britain framed by American power. Someone Else's Empire looks at the infrastructure of a US world order re-energised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and fits the UK into the picture without the usual euphemisms. It is one thing to station military forces around the world to maintain your empire, but quite another to do so for someone else's.
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<b>The destructive delusions of 'Global Britain'</b>
I. Equerry Dreams
1. Eternal Allies
2. Someone Else's Empire
3. The British Defence Intellectual
4. The Anglo-settler Societies and World History
5. Green Bamboo, Red Snow

II. Instruments of Order
6. The Economic Weapon
7. Keys to the World
8. The Proxy Doctrine
9. On Thermonuclear War
10. Astrostrategy

III. A Prize from Fairyland
11. What Are We There For?
12. The Benefits of Lawlessness
13. In Egypt's Prisons
14. Successors on the Earth
15. The Revolutionary Decade
16. Kinetic Strikes

Postscript: Reactive Management of the World Empire
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<b>The destructive delusions of 'Global Britain'</b>
For readers of Tariq Ali, Patrick Cockburn and James Meek.,Likely to provoke debates in mainstream media around British foreign policy.,Author regularly contributes to London Review of Books and Times Literary Supplement.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781804291481
Publisert
2023-11-07
Utgiver
Verso Books; Verso Books
Vekt
448 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
153 mm
Dybde
21 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
272

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Tom Stevenson is a contributing editor at the London Review of Books where he writes about energy, defence and international politics. He has reported from Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa for the LRB, Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times and the BBC.