Questioning Britain’s Place in the World: Beyond Brexit
A British Union flag hangs in the window beside a hat stand in the office of Nigel Farage when he was a Member of European Parliament.
Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/BloombergWhat’s happening? The attack on Ukraine raises uncomfortable questions for Britain’s place in the world, and London’s business model shifts with a crackdown on oligarchs.
The U.K. tightened its relationship with European Union nations in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The war in the east rekindled the NATO military alliance, fastening links with EU nations that Britain had sought to loosen with its departure from the trading bloc. For columnist Pankaj Mishra, it marks a dramatic shift away from imperial ambitions of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and those politicians, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who supported Brexit. Robert Shrimsley at the Financial Times writes that it’s a reminder that Britain’s security is inextricably linked to Europe.