In March 2021, the UK government released an integrated review of foreign and defence policy outlining the strategic foundations for its interactions with the wider world. In this week's episode with Bleddyn Bowen, we will discuss how the UK's geopolitical position on the global stage is being affected by pressures on the unity of the British state. At a time at which questions over Scottish independence, Northern Ireland's borders and Welsh autonomy have become fraught, the interaction between tensions over the future of the UK Union and uncertainty over the UK's global role in the wake of Brexit will shape the British state's relationship with Europe and the wider world.
With his groundbreaking work on strategic theory and space warfare, Bleddyn Bowen has developed fascinating insights into the strategic challenges facing states in the 21st century. As Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Leicester, Bleddyn has played an active role in debates over geopolitical strategy in such work as his book, War in Space: Strategy, Spacepower, Geopolitics, as well as through engagement with institutions such as the Royal United Services Institute, Royal College of Defence Studies, The Guardian and Le Monde to name a few. With such a wide-ranging perspective on a rapidly changing strategic landscape, Bleddyn is an ideal position to help us explore Britain's shifting position on the global stage.
The background music is by Through the City by Crowander, and the production for this podcast was by Daniel Mansfield.