The Cameron-Clegg Coalition and Britain's Role in the World: Austerity, Continuity, and Change

by Timothy J. Oliver

Overview

This is the first in-depth study of the foreign and defence policies of the Coalition, a government that saw the Conservatives restored to power for the first time since the Iraq War and the Liberal Democrats enter government for the first time. It explores the idea of Britain as a ‘Great Power’ since 1945 to show how the Coalition’s policies fitted into wider historical understandings of Britain’s role in the world. Drawing on a range of evidence from the time of the Coalition, it shows that this period was one of continued change in British foreign policy. The Coalition conducted the first strategic defence review since 1998, significantly reduced the funding allocations for defence and foreign affairs, raised overseas aid spending to record levels, engaged in overseas military action in two sovereign states (and were denied a chance to participate in another), as well as a wide array of other policies. This book argues that evaluating these events and the historical background of the Coalition is critical to understanding the current crises gripping British politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030809942
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2021
Series:	Britain and the World
Edition description:	1st ed. 2021
Pages:	215
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Timothy J. Oliver is a Lecturer in British Politics and Public Policy at the University of Manchester, UK. He has teaching and research experience in British foreign and defence policy, international relations, and the Liberal Democrats.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction.- 2. British Elites and Great Power Status since 1945.- 3. The Coalition and War.- 4. The Coalition and International Law.- 5. The Coalition and International Organisations.- 6. After the Coalition.- 7. Conclusion.