U.K.

Ask CFR Experts

What will happen if Britain quits the European Union?

Asked by Neela Chipalkatty, from New York University
Author: Sebastian Mallaby

Britain has long been ambivalent about the European Union (EU) and Britons' low regard for the EU has been exacerbated by the euro crisis. British prime minister David Cameron has said two things. There will be a referendum on Europe before the end of 2017. But before that, Cameron promises to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU. Putting these two promises together, the referendum may be less important than one might think.

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Foreign Affairs Article

Castlereagh's Catechism

Author: Brendan Simms

Foreign policy realists have long found inspiration in the ideas of Lord Castlereagh, who served as British foreign secretary during and after the Napoleonic Wars.

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Primary Sources

Remarks by Secretary Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Hague, February 2013

Secretary John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague gave these remarks after their meeting on February 25, 2013, Kerry's first stop on his first international tour as Secretary of State. They discussed negotiations with Israel-Palestine, the Syrian crisis, Iran's nuclear program, troops in Afghanistan and North Africa, and the U.S.-EU transatlantic trade agreemeent.

See more in U.K., Diplomacy, Peacekeeping

Op-Ed

The BoE Is Getting "Libored"

Authors: Benn Steil and Dinah Walker
Wall Street Journal Europe

Benn Steil's Wall Street Journal Europe op-ed, co-authored with Dinah Walker, argues that the Bank of England is getting "Libored"—that is, misled and manipulated—by the banks benefiting from its Funding for Lending Scheme. The Fed, which has shown interest in the scheme, should beware.

See more in United States, U.K., Capital Markets, Financial Crises, Geoeconomics, International Finance

Op-Ed

Albion at the EU Exit Door

Author: Charles A. Kupchan
International Herald Tribune

Charles A. Kupchan argues that David Cameron's changes to Britain's relationship with the European Union run the risk of a British exit from the union and a weakening of Britain's role as a bridge between the United States and Europe.

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Foreign Affairs Article

God's Politics

Author: Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks

With its commandments and parables, its kings and its prophets, the Hebrew Bible has served as a reference point for Western politics for centuries. Almost every kind of political movement, it seems, has drawn its own message from the text.

See more in U.K., Religion and Politics

Foreign Affairs Article

The Scottish Play

Author: Charles King

As a referendum on Scotland's independence looms, the question of the region's place in the United Kingdom has become the most pressing issue in British politics.

See more in U.K., Nationalism

Backgrounder

Understanding the Libor Scandal

Author: Christopher Alessi

The manipulation of interbank lending rates by a host of global financial institutions could have significant repercussions for financial markets, consumer loans, and regulatory policy, explains this Backgrounder.

See more in U.K., Capital Markets