UK post-Brexit foreign review points to rocky road ahead

LONDON has this month begun what it asserts will be the most sweeping UK defence and security review since the end of the Cold War. Yet, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is eager to explore the potential opportunities of the post-Brexit landscape, the challenges are mounting too in what could be a very rocky period ahead for UK policy.

Two of the longstanding pillars of UK policy in the post-war period - its alliances with the United States and Europe - are in flux. Not only is Mr Johnson in dispute with US President Donald Trump on issues from Huawei to digital taxes, he also faces a massive negotiation this year with the EU to agree and ratify a new trade deal before Dec 31.

This creates a major headache for London as it must at the same time recalibrate its foreign and defence policy beyond Europe, in every part of the globe from Asia-Pacific to the Americas. This is a big task. What is already clear is that while a massive amount of attention in recent years has focused on Brexit, comparatively little time has been spent focused on broader international policy. Indeed, the last time that the nation systematically reviewed its place in the world was 2015 with the-then National Security Strategy exercise and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).