Thoughts? The article says that Britain can’t annoy the US too much over this Iran war, because UK security is unfortunately completely dependent upon the US.
Starmer has to deploy what influence he has with the White House carefully. He must consider other strategic goals – the need to keep Trump onside in Ukraine, for example. And he must be mindful that Britain’s own military and intelligence capabilities are enmeshed with Pentagon systems.
As one [minister] puts it, Britain would be “massively exposed” if a capricious US administration decided it no longer wanted our friendship.
Perhaps the best way for the UK to stop being a vassal of the US is for the UK to join forces with its European allies. Europe together can surely create the capabilities needed to defend the continent.
Perhaps true, so I guess we shouldn’t try to cut our ties with the US straight away. Instead we can work with European allies to build up Europe’s defences. Then if the US continues to diverge from Europe, Europe will have its own defences in place.
I think this is basically the plan! But it does, in the meantime, involve pleasing nearly no one, as Behr says.