Written Evidence Submitted to the UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee

Note

When the UK government announced its "Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy" in February 2020, it was described as the largest review of British external policy since the Cold War. Yet few details were unveiled about the process of the Integrated Review, what strategic questions will drive it, or how resources will be allocated to match the UK's ambitions. The UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee launched an inquiry to examine these concerns and issued a call for evidence. Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellow Dr. William James submitted written evidence to the inquiry in late June.

Summary of Written Evidence Provided by Dr. William James

• The government should reconsider 'influence' as a National Security Objective. It should instead be regarded as a means to an end
• The Integrated Review should go further than past reviews by explaining how government's National Security Objectives relate to each other and which is to be prioritised in the event of a difficult trade-off
• The assumptions underpinning the viability of the government's expansive 'Global Britain' vision will be brought under further strain by the fallout from Covid-19

• Read Dr. William James' Full Submission Here
• Read More on the Wider Inquiry Here