IRS 349 British Foreign Policy

What have Britain's major foreign policies been in modern history? Why were those policies pursued and what were their outcomes for the country and on other actors? This course attempts to answer these fundamental questions by way of a comprehensive and critical discussion of Britain's external relations from the start of the twentieth century until contemporary times. Major themes addressed include British responses to the challenges of the two World Wars; imperial collapse; Cold War activity; involvement with the European project; and more recent attempts to negotiate a role and maintain 'power' in the context of globalization and challenges to Western pre-eminence. Conceptually, the course is interested in analysing crucial foreign policy decisions in terms of structure and agency and the apparent tension between Idealism and Realism in the making of British foreign policy. In exploring our topic in a narrative fashion informed by theory, students can reach a thorough and profound understanding of Britain?s global position in modern history and today.