Within ten days of becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham had hitched his wagon to the idea that an ‘independent nuclear deterrent’ can guarantee not only the UK’s national security but also its reindustrialisation. Ian Davis argues that this is delusional on all counts and heightens the probability of environmental as well as nuclear apocalypse. Speaking … Continue reading The Three Myths that Drive the UK’s Nuclear Juggernaut
Britain should be wary of mistaking higher defence spending for a real strategy
The July 2026 NATO Summit was another display of performative loyalty to Donald Trump, quantified in percentage points of GDP and multibillion dollar equipment contracts. Ian Davis argues that the UK’s new leadership must think beyond Trump’s transactionalism and foster an honest debate about how we spend to really make Britain and the world safer. … Continue reading Britain should be wary of mistaking higher defence spending for a real strategy
AUKUS: Time for a Public Inquiry
Negotiated rapidly and in secret, the AUKUS pact to produce new nuclear-powered submarines is among the most expensive, consequential and opaque deals in British and Australian military history. Ian Lowe reports on the launch of a new civil society-led expert public inquiry into AUKUS that aims to provide the scrutiny so lacking from Australian politicians. … Continue reading AUKUS: Time for a Public Inquiry
Puppetry of the Heinous: Dependence and delusion in UK defence strategy
As US strategic bombers and special forces deploy at British air bases, the UK is yet again getting sucked into a major war in the Middle East. Richard Reeve examines how London’s delusions of status and influence condemn it to repeating past mistakes and exacerbating dangerous crises. Whether Keir Starmer admits it or not, the … Continue reading Puppetry of the Heinous: Dependence and delusion in UK defence strategy
How Europe Should Respond to Trump’s Threats over Greenland
The crisis over Greenland marks the greatest possibility of rupture in trans-Atlantic relations since NATO’s foundation. Ian Davis considers how European states might respond to US sanctions and potential annexation of Greenland, arguing that planning should start now for a post-NATO security architecture in Europe and the Arctic. On 17 January, US President Donald Trump … Continue reading How Europe Should Respond to Trump’s Threats over Greenland
Strategising for Peace in the New Age of Empire
This month’s US National Security Strategy underlines an ongoing shift away from liberal values into a new age of empire. In this new long read, Larry Attree discusses how – by rethinking alliances, defence posture, peace and conflict policies, and international cooperation – the UK can oppose these dangerous trends and promote a more peaceful … Continue reading Strategising for Peace in the New Age of Empire
Don’t Look Up, Don’t Look Down: The radical certainty of Labour’s National Security Strategy
The UK’s latest National Security Strategy heralds a radical redistribution of national resources from social spending to defence. Richard Reeve argues that it not only brushes aside the looming reality of irreversible climate breakdown but also represents a fundamental abandonment of an eight-decade project to learn the catastrophic lessons of World War Two. ‘Security for … Continue reading Don’t Look Up, Don’t Look Down: The radical certainty of Labour’s National Security Strategy
SDR 2025: America First, Last and Everything
The UK's new Strategic Defence Review is a squib. Not because its ambitions are under-funded, but because its ambitions centre on keeping the MAGA state engaged in European defence at any cost. Richard Reeve argues for an urgent and open national conversation that confronts the unsustainable and unstable myths at the heart of UK security policy.
Bridge to Nowhere: UK security strategy in the ruins of Atlantis
As Western security alliances fragment, Richard Reeve charts the implications for the UK’s most fundamental strategic assumptions, and makes the case for ‘thinking beyond the unthinkable’ in the government’s next National Security Strategy.
Tackling global security risks in the second Trump era
The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency undermines efforts to tackle urgent global security risks such as nuclear weapons and climate change. Dr Stuart Parkinson gives an overview of the problems and assesses how best to respond.
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.
Do we really need a NATO bank to ‘Trump-proof’ European security?
The prospect of NATO-sceptic Donald Trump returning to the US presidency after next month’s election has stimulated much discussion of how to ‘Trump-proof’ European collective security. Ian Davis argues that the solution lies in funding global demobilization, not rearmament.