Task 16.1 Discuss: Britain after Brexit
Watch the episode of the Foreign Policy Association’s “Great Decisions” series about “Britain after Brexit” (26 minutes).
Task 16.2 Speech Analysis: Building a Global Network of Liberty
In December 2021, then foreign secretary Liz Truss gave a speech at Chatham House in London. In the speech, she outlined the Conservative government’s vision of “building a global network of liberty”. Read and analyse the abbreviated version of the speech below:
Building the Network of Liberty
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, December 8, 2021. Excerpts.
Transcription of the speech exactly as it was delivered at Chatham House, London.
The world is moving very fast, and ideas are moving even faster. This revolution is why we enjoy incredible freedom, powered by free enterprise and technology (...)
Yet this progress shouldn’t blind us to the pitfalls. Hostile forces are using disinformation to undermine truth. Extremists are perpetuating malign ideologies through social media. Autocratic regimes are using this maelstrom of militancy, mistrust, and misinformation to gain the upper hand.
Now is the time for the free world to fight back, and to use the power of economics and technology to promote freedom, not fear.
Let’s be honest: in recent years, the free world has taken its eye off the ball. After the collapse of communism, many breathed a sigh of relief and called it the end of history – confident that freedom and democracy would inexorably go global under its own steam (…)
This complacency is being exploited by those who never stopped fighting the global battle of ideas. They’ve been relentlessly building their influence – offering a quick buck to anyone who would take it, with strings attached for sovereignty and national security.
It’s time to wake up. The free world’s age of introspection must end now. Instead, we need the age of ideas, influence, and inspiration. And that’s why Britain is determined to work with our friends to form a network of liberty that spans the world. As [John F. Kennedy] put it, we will inspire others “not with an imperialism of force or fear, but the rule of courage and freedom, and hope for the future of man.”
We know we will succeed because we are free and democratic nations. We believe in individual liberty and humanity and dignity, and the power of people – the greatest transformative force on earth.
This is what our adversaries always get wrong. They put groups ahead of individuals. They want to make people work for the system. We want to make the system work for people. We know that when people have agency over their own lives, when they have freedom and opportunity, they achieve incredible things.
This is the principle our country is based on – you can see it in the advancement of rights under Magna Carta, the establishment of the rule of law, or the pioneering of free market economics – all ideas that inspired the world.
So, it’s time to be proud of who we are and what we stand for. It’s time to dump the baggage holding us back. Our history – warts and all – makes us what we are today. Britain is the greatest country on earth. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, you can achieve your dreams.
And that’s why when I speak to foreign governments and businesses, they want to work with Britain (…)
People want to do business with Britain. They trust us. And they see things in Britain they would like for their own countries. They see that in Britain your background is no barrier to becoming a chief executive, a top footballer, or the mayor of London. They recognise we are a science and tech superpower, home to the third largest number of tech unicorns in the world. They know that we are an economic powerhouse, growing faster than any other G7 nation.
From the Beatles to Sarah Gilbert to Tim Berners-Lee, we have unrivalled influence in the world. So, our foreign policy will project pride in our country and in all its elements, including our great cities, our towns, and our countryside (…)
I am putting this at the heart of the Foreign Office’s mission – to go out there, influencing, and inspiring others to join our cause. The Office itself is a national asset. We have the best diplomats in the world, and a diplomatic network with unique reach and expertise (…) We are united with our friends and family through the Commonwealth, covering a third of the world’s population. And our diplomatic heft has been shown time and time again.
[W]e will keep increasing our reach and strengthening our network (…) Our diplomats will go out there in a positive, proud and patriotic spirit. We won’t lecture others, instead we will lead by example. We won’t hand-wring, instead we will reach out with our ideas and inspiration (…)
[W]e need to be on the front foot with our friends across the free world, because the battle for economic influence is already in full flow. [T]he United Kingdom is in a unique position to lead the charge on this. After almost fifty years in the EU, once again all the levers of international policy are in our hands – diplomacy, development, trade, and security. It’s a new opportunity for the UK to shape the international agenda. An unfrozen moment that we must capitalise on.
As an outward-looking, sovereign nation, we are rebuilding our muscle to fulfil the promise of Global Britain – ready to win opportunities for our country and win the future for freedom. Our adversaries seek to use economics and technology as tools of control. We want to use them as tools of liberation. And we will use all of Britain’s influence, ideas, and inspiration to achieve this.
Firstly, we are reaching out to build new economic partnerships (…) Second, as a science and tech superpower we will make sure that the free world leads the way in the technologies of the future (...) Thirdly, all of this has to be underpinned by stronger security ties. We are building a network of security partnerships to protect our people, our partners and our freedoms (…)
In all of these areas – and more – we are taking the lead, we’re seizing the initiative and we’re standing up for freedom and democracy. We are using all of our weight as the world’s fifth largest economy: British International Investment, leadership in technology, increased defence spending, and new, deeper trade deals. We are getting out there to build the network of liberty and advance the frontiers of freedom (…)
When we put freedom first, we all benefit. The more freedom-loving countries trade with each other, build security links, invest in our partners, and pull more countries into the orbit of freedom, the safer and freer we all are.
New agreements between like-minded countries, even when you’re not part of them, are there to be celebrated. It isn’t a zero-sum game. Friends want friends to be successful (…) By joining forces and bringing other freedom-loving nations with us, we will create the future we all want to see.
[M]y message [is] clear: it’s time to get on the front foot and join us in advancing the frontiers of freedom. It is time to dump the baggage, ditch the introspection and step forward, proud of who we are and what we stand for, ready to shape the world anew. Let’s stop fighting about the past. Let’s start fighting for the future. By championing our ideas, building our influence, and inspiring others with our cause, we can forge ahead as a global network of liberty.
That’s how we will rise to the challenge in this fast-changing world. It’s how we’ll win the battle for ideas and influence once again. And it’s how we’ll ensure free societies and democracies don’t just survive, they thrive.
Thank you.
Task 16.3 Podcast Analysis: The United Kingdom’s Existential Crisis
Listen to the CFR Foreign Affairs Podcast Interview with the Irish writer Fintan O’Toole (44 min. 25 sec.). In the podcast, O’Toole argues that British and imperial identities have previously held the United Kingdom together. Today, however, the United Kingdom is ”unsure about not just its place in the international order but also whether it can continue to be regarded as a single place.” Britain is, in short, in the process of being pulled apart in different nations.
