A report on Britain’s post-Brexit foreign policy shows that the public does not agree with the British government’s interest in permanent conflict with the European Union, and more people regard the European Union as an important future partner than the United States.
“The Johnson administration seems to need a long-term struggle for a permanent Brexit,” Report of the European Commission on External Relations (ECFR) The think tank said it warned that its approach was “weakening the ability of the UK to cooperate with the EU.”
At the same time, it stated that “the British public does not have any special hostility towards the EU” and although they “value the sovereignty and independence of the UK, they will support the foreign policy of cooperation with the EU”.
Opinion polls on the report found that people have different opinions on who is most responsible for the current severe relationship between the UK and the EU. 39% blame the UK and 38% say they think the EU should be held accountable.
It is foreseeable that this disagreement is partisan-70% of Conservative voters blame the EU, 66% of Labour voters blame the United Kingdom-but no matter who they think is responsible, 39% of the public believe the EU is the main partner of the future. And 22%% is the United States.
The investigation also found that lack of enthusiasm for the United States extends to follow it with any conflict China54% of people believe that a cold war has occurred between the two countries, and 45% of people prefer Britain to remain neutral in the event of a war.
According to the report, more broadly, the British government’s vision for “Global Britain” aims to “restore Britain’s great status as a maritime trading nation”-but there is evidence that this is nothing more than “a plant rooted in misremembered The illusion of the empire’s past”.
Authors Nick Witney and Jeremy Shapiro stated that the British military “despite a long tradition, but no longer provide the United Kingdom with a comparative advantage as it did in the past.” Opinion polls show that the public is “indifferent at best to the restoration of Britain’s status as a global military power”.
The ECFR survey found that only 6% of the respondents support the UK’s foreign policy that prioritizes military power, while 40% of the respondents said they hope that foreign policy will focus primarily on strengthening the domestic economy.
“The government is proud to see British navy enters the Pacific It doesn’t seem to motivate the public,” the author said.
Rather than looking back at the past-and the “distant Indian Ocean-Pacific” around the world-Britain should “rely on its privileged position in international institutions, a world-class diplomatic mission, and make serious efforts to cultivate its still considerable soft power” , They argued.
They stated that the United Kingdom can “by…cooperating with various partners, especially the European Union and the United States, achieve prosperity and respect what it desires.”
However, on the contrary, the global UK “has little effect on the EU”, even after the formal Brexit, the Boris Johnson administration “seems to need a long-term struggle with the EU to justify its political existence.”
But they believe that “permanent Brexit…cannot suspend the ideology of distance and strategic laws”. In the face of “increasing geopolitical competition, authoritarian progress, and geoeconomic coercion, the EU remains an important partner of the UK.”
According to the report, the establishment of a close strategic partnership with the EU will enable the UK to “protect its sovereignty and become a force in global affairs” and gain political support in the UK, “even though the UK is criticizing the EU every day. The Johnson Administration”.
The author said that the UK still has “extraordinary assets to formulate an effective foreign policy”. “To do this, it must focus on Britain’s advantages, avoid military adventures on distant lands, and find a balanced and effective working relationship…with the European Union and the United States.”
