When was britain a superpower

Is the UK's role on the world stage a decades-long story of managed decline, including the orderly withdrawal from a once vast empire?

Or is it the story of a medium-sized power whose standing in the world reflects the new global reality? Others, such as former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd preferred the idea that the UK "punches above its weight" in world affairs. And in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US, Tony Blair put forward his own view of Britain's place on the international stage: if no longer a super-power, then at least a force for good in the world.

Well, the debate about the UK's role in the world goes on. Or does it? The first television debate of the UK election campaign led some people to ask why there was not a single question on foreign policy. The explanation might be that not every topic can be squeezed in during a short time.

But in a curious way it was a taste of things to come in that foreign policy - defence spending and Trident aside - hasn't really featured in a big way during the election campaign. This is puzzling at a time when the world is engulfed in multiple crises. There are military conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen; Libya is falling apart; and in the very heart of Europe, the battle over Ukraine continues.

Policy makers have no real idea how to handle a resurgent Russia or how best to counter the growing power of China. But what is the UK's role, if any, and more to the point, even if it wanted to do something, what is realistic and feasible at a time of shrinking budgets? In some ways the Hurd remark about Britain punching above its weight frames much of the ongoing debate.

The UK, the plucky nation that once ruled an empire, is still at the top table, with a bigger voice and role than its current global position might merit. In this narrative, the slow withdrawal from being a global superpower has to be tempered with other examples of the UK's power and might. This narrative points to our involvement in the Iraq Wars and Afghanistan, as well as the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo.

It highlights Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair as big players on the international stage, standing shoulder to shoulder with the US on all the big questions of international policy. Those on this side of the argument - let's call them the foreign policy activists - believe this strength is now slowly eroding and that we are witnessing a clear decline in the UK's standing, a nation, they say, ghosting into the shadows.

This is the first book of its kind. In this vividly written and meticulously researched book, readers will experience each level of war from the debates over grand strategy in London to the horrors of combat engulfing soldiers and sailors in distant lands and seas. Haunting voices of participants echo from two centuries ago, culled from speeches, diaries, and letters.

John s University, New York, is the author of thirty-seven books on history and politics. Go to menu Go to content Go to search. Share it twitter facebook. He held back from direct criticism of the performance of the Foreign Office, saying the way to prevent such a debacle was to strengthen the western alliance. This article is more than 2 months old. Reuse this content.