John Bew: UK Must Plan and Deepen Alliances Amidst Global Power Competition
John Bew, Rishi Sunak's foreign policy adviser, gave a lecture on Britain's current strategic moment, emphasizing the need for the UK to actively build alliances instead of just managing risks.
He argued that historical events have shaped the British national character and the way leaders perceive the world.
The UK now faces a choice between using statecraft to strengthen international relationships or risking conflict with rivals.
Bew warned that we are not just dealing with risks, but rather in a competition where inaction could lead to war.
A historian and biographer named Bew, who authored Conservative foreign and security reviews in 2021 and 2023, believes great power dynamics and politics have returned in a significant way, and managing risk is no longer sufficient.
He emphasized the need for planning and competition against adversaries, such as China, Russia, and a more isolationist US, in the context of navigating international relations.
An incoming Labour government may ask Bew to stay in his position for continuity.
He spoke at the Sorbonne in Paris about the importance of planning and competing against adversaries in grand strategic moments, as liberal democratic capitalist economies often struggle with this.
The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of a journey that lies ahead, recognizing that they are currently at the base of the foothills.
This sentiment is widely held across Europe.
The UK now faces a choice between using statecraft to strengthen international relationships or risking conflict with rivals.
Bew warned that we are not just dealing with risks, but rather in a competition where inaction could lead to war.
A historian and biographer named Bew, who authored Conservative foreign and security reviews in 2021 and 2023, believes great power dynamics and politics have returned in a significant way, and managing risk is no longer sufficient.
He emphasized the need for planning and competition against adversaries, such as China, Russia, and a more isolationist US, in the context of navigating international relations.
An incoming Labour government may ask Bew to stay in his position for continuity.
He spoke at the Sorbonne in Paris about the importance of planning and competing against adversaries in grand strategic moments, as liberal democratic capitalist economies often struggle with this.
The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of a journey that lies ahead, recognizing that they are currently at the base of the foothills.
This sentiment is widely held across Europe.
