British Foreign Policy, National Identity, and Neoclassical Realism

By (author) Amelia Hadfield-Amkhan

Publication date:

16 October 2010

Length of book:

270 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780742555679

This groundbreaking study offers a genuinely multidisciplinary exploration of cultural influences on foreign policy. Through an innovative blend of historical analysis, neoclassical realist theory, and cultural studies, Amelia Hadfield-Amkhan shows how national identity has been a catalyst for British foreign policy decisions, helping the state to both define and defend itself. Representing key points of crisis from the past two centuries, her case studies include the 1882 attempt to construct a channel tunnel to France, the frantic 1909 Dreadnought race with Germany, the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina, and the 2003 decision to remain outside the Eurozone. The author argues that these events, marking the decline of a great power, have forced Britain's society and government into periods of deep self-reflection that are carved into its culture and etched into its policy stances on central issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity, international recognition, and even monetary policy.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Conceptual Foundations: Neoclassical Realism, Foreign Policy Analysis, and National Identity
Chapter 2: Analyzing National Identity, National Interests, and Foreign Policy
Chapter 3: The 1882 Channel Tunnel Crisis: Englishness and Territoriality
Chapter 4: The 1909 Navy Scare: Englishness and National Security
Chapter 5: The 1982 Falklands Crisis: Englishness, Britishness, and Ontological Security
Chapter 6: The 2003 Euro Debate: Englishness, Britishness, and Sovereignty
Conclusion
Bibliography

Working within the framework of the neoclassical realist school of international relations, which considers the role of variables such as cultural forces in the formulation of foreign policy, Hadfield-Amkhan (Vrije Univ. Brussel) suggests that first English and then also British identity have been significant 'inputs' to the 'outputs' of British foreign policy from the late 19th century to the present. After establishing that theoretical foundation, she presents four case studies that demonstrate different aspects of that identity, drawing well on government documents, newspapers, and popular novels and nonfiction. In the 1882 Channel Tunnel Crisis, opponents of the project charged that England's insular territorial integrity would be jeopardized. The 1909 Naval Scare stemmed from the challenge to English naval dominance and national security posed by Germany in its construction of dreadnoughts. Hadfield-Amkhan argues that in a postimperial environment, the struggle over the Falkland Islands in 1982 represented Britain's determination to maintain its national self-image and a role within the wider state system, and finally, that the decision not to adopt the euro in 2003 was emblematic of its attachment to a degree of economic autonomy from Europe. Summing Up: Recommended.