What next for Britain in the Middle East? : security, trade and foreign policy after Brexit

"As the UK enters a period of intense public introspection in the wake of Brexit, this book takes on one of the key questions emerging from the divisive process: what is Britain's place in the world? The Middle East is one of the regions the UK has been most engaged in historically. This book assesses the drivers of foreign policy successes and failures and asks if there is a way to revitalise British influence in the region, and if this is even desirable. The book analyses the values, trade and security concerns that drive the UK's foreign policy. There are separate chapters on the non- Arab powers – Israel, Turkey and Iran – as well as chapters on the Middle Eastern Arab states and regions including the Gulf, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria and the Levant. The contributions are from leading specialists in the field: Rosemary Hollis, Michael Clarke, Ian Black, Bill Park, Christopher Phillips, Sanam Vakil, Michael Stephens and Louise Kettle. They each explain and re-assess the declining western influence and continued instability in the region and what this means for the UK's priorities and strategy towards the MENA. This is an essential book for policy makers, journalists and researchers focused on foreign policy towards the Middle East."--Publisher description As the UK enters a period of intense public introspection in the wake of Brexit, this book takes on one of the key questions emerging from the divisive process: what is Britain's place in the world? The Middle East is one of the regions the UK has been most engaged in historically. The current weakening of states, rise of Jihadist non-state actors, flows of refugees, increased Iranian-Gulf tension and economic uncertainty are among the many MENA issues now impacting on London. This book assesses the drivers of foreign policy successes and failures and asks if there is a way to revitalise British influence in the region, and if this is even desirable. The book analyses the values, trade and security concerns that drive the UK's foreign policy. There are separate chapters on the non-Arab powers - Israel, Turkey and Iran - as well as chapters on the Middle Eastern Arab states and regions including the Gulf, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria and the Levant. The contributions are from the leading specialists in the field from both universities and from institutions such as RUSI, Chatham House and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Rosemary Hollis, Michael Clarke, Ian Black, Christopher Phillips, Jane Kinninmont, Michael Stephens and Gareth Stansfield. They each explain and re-assess the declining western influence and continued instability in the region and what this means for the UK's priorities and strategy towards the MENA. This is an essential book for policy makers, journalists and researchers focused on foreign policy towards the Middle East. As the UK enters a period of intense public introspection in the wake of Brexit, this book takes on one of the key questions emerging from the divisive process: what is Britain's place in the world? The Middle East is one of the regions the UK has been most engaged in historically. This book assesses the drivers of foreign policy successes and failures and asks if there is a way to revitalise British influence in the region, and if this is even desirable.0The book analyses the values, trade and security concerns that drive the UK's foreign policy. There are separate chapters on the non- Arab powers - Israel, Turkey and Iran - as well as chapters on the Middle Eastern Arab states and regions including the Gulf, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria and the Levant. The contributions are from leading specialists in the field: Rosemary Hollis, Michael Clarke, Ian Black, Bill Park, Christopher Phillips, Sanam Vakil, Michael Stephens and Louise Kettle. They each explain and re-assess the declining western influence and continued instability in the region and what this means for the UK's priorities and strategy towards the MENA. This is an essential book for policy makers, journalists and researchers focused on foreign policy towards the Middle East Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Contributors 9 Map of the Middle East 12 Acknowledgements 13 1 Introduction Christopher Phillips and Michael Stephens 14 Part 1 Still searching for a role – The UK in the Middle East from East of Suez to Brexit 24 2 Britain and the Middle East since the end of Empire Rosemary Hollis 26 3 Britain’s foreign policy landscape in the post-Brexit era Michael Clarke 40 4 Still special? The UK and United States in the Middle East Michael Stephens 54 Part 2 Principles and pragmatism – The debates over the UK’s Middle East priorities 66 5 Values James Lynch 68 6 Prosperity David Butter 82 7 Security Louise Kettle 94 Part 3 Britain and the non-Arab powers 108 8 Turkey Bill Park 110 9 Israel Ian Black 122 10 Iran Sanam Vakil 136 Part 4 Britain and the Middle Eastern Arab states 150 11 Syria and the Levant Christopher Phillips 152 12 Iraq Jack Watling 164 13 The Gulf Tobias Borck and Michael Stephens 178 14 Egypt Emman El-Badawy 194 15 Conclusion Christopher Phillips and Michael Stephens 212 Notes 219 Select Bibliography 256 Index 258