With political commitment to increase military spending, military production is thriving in the UK. But do these heavily subsidised industries meet the British people’s security needs, or the state’s desire to dominate abroad? Khem Rogaly argues for a new approach to industrial strategy that centres the needs of workers, people and planet.
Nuclear Secrecy: The UK’s common agenda with Russia and North Korea
The UK is in denial about the legacy of its Cold War nuclear weapons testing programmes as well as about the potential impact of a future nuclear war. Sean Howard sees bad faith in the new UK government’s voting record at the UN’s disarmament committee and some unsavoury partners in its campaign to maintain nuclear secrecy.
Introducing the National Security and Defence Documents Dataset 1987-2024
A new dataset aims to compile and make available for analysis every national security and defence policy document ever published anywhere in the world. The dataset’s creator, Andrew W. Neal, explains how the collection reveals trends in public security discourse and threat perceptions, and how the dataset can be accessed and analysed by scholars.
Making the case for de-escalation in the UK’s Strategic Defence Review
As a new UK Strategic Defence Review gets underway, a series of complex interconnected crises from the Middle East to the Horn of Africa must prompt a much greater emphasis on de-escalation. Charlie Linney and Lewis Brooks propose three areas where UK Defence can contribute to de-escalation and conflict prevention.
Beyond the SDR: From strength abroad to a secure and peaceful home
The UK’s new government is looking for ways to be stronger abroad, but is that any way to build a more secure country and society? Diana Francis argues that the government will make things worse by pushing for military dominance and failing to address the climate and ecological emergency that threatens us all.
SDR: What should the Strategic Defence Review say about nuclear disarmament?
In an age of increasing insecurity, Steve Barwick of NET argues that the Strategic Defence Review should prioritise diplomatic avenues for conflict prevention and resolution, and explain how the UK will work to revive arms control and disarmament to reduce the threat of nuclear conflict.
SDR: Ten suggestions for a real ‘root and branch review of UK defence’
In its first weeks in power the new Labour government launched a Strategic Defence Review, the UK’s fifth in nine years. In the first of a new series, Richard Reeve draws on Rethinking Security’s evidence submission to the SDR to suggest ten ways that Reviewers should depart from their narrow script to begin a genuinely strategic, transformative approach to UK defence and global security.
Does the new Government’s Strategic Defence Review offer a window for rethinking UK defence policy?
On 13 September 2024, the British International Studies Association’s new Security Policy and Practice working group hosted a ‘Dialogue on the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review’, supported by Rethinking Security. Over 50 scholars, plus experts working with parliamentary committees, NGOs and think tanks, joined the session. This article captures key points from the discussion while respecting the Chatham House Rule.
Why the new UK government should support a treaty on autonomous weapons
If the new Labour government is really committed to international law and multilateral arms control, it should support the international negotiation of a new treaty to control the development and use of autonomous weapons systems, argues Elizabeth Minor.
Pre-War, Post-War, Anti-War? Defence, Disarmament and Deliberative Democracy
While defence is one of the dominant issues in the 2024 general election campaign, discussion of the appalling implications of a next world war is absent. With politicians unable to grasp the possibility and necessity for change, Sean Howard argues that genuinely deliberative democracy such as citizens’ assemblies is essential to let the people decide on the UK’s future defence posture.
GE2024: What the Manifestos say about Security
‘Security’ is a leitmotif of the 2024 general election campaign, reflecting a widely held feeling that the UK and its people are beset by multiple crises. Richard Reeve analyses the political party manifestos to assess why this is a security election and what options the parties propose to improve the UK’s international security.
How does the UK public define its own security?
How the British people understand their own security is a question that ought to be central to security policy analysis. Yet public opinion polling on security issues almost always seeks to gauge reaction to and validation of a small range of established security threats and responses. New research by Rethinking Security and Coventry University sought to let people define their own security and how it relates to the UK state and society. The responses were startling.