UK foreign policy has long been shaped by a particular geopolitical way of conceiving the nation’s place in the world. This island identity may have been forged in imperial times, but it remains hugely relevant in the post-Brexit world.
In order to explain and justify its colossal empire – the largest the world has ever seen – imperial thinkers and politicians depicted the UK as a remarkable little island that was not only capable of running such a huge operation, but was positively made for the role.
