Thread by @SimonFraser00

1/12: Will the UK #integratedreview of security & #foreignpolicy really make a difference? It was billed as a radical reset after #Brexit & does contain important innovations. But there are many areas of continuity. A thread, now we’ve had time to digest..

2/12: #GlobalBritain hyperbole was inevitable. A “science superpower”, a “#softpower superpower”, “an independent country free to tread our own path”. But to be fair, beneath the froth lies serious thought to frame international & domestic priorities.

3/12: The #geopolitical analysis is sober. A tougher, more competitive world where China looms large & old certainties no longer apply. Yet the core prescription is familiar. British foreign policy with global reach, defending liberal democratic values, rule of law & trade.

4/12: Also familiar is the emphasis on ties with #US. It’s the right call. Whatever their personal relations, #Biden’s win is a strategic godsend for Johnson. #UK interest is to work fast to buttress positive change in America.

5/12: Other examples of continuity: the prominence of Euro-Atlantic security & UK role in #NATO; the (enhanced) commitment to the UK #nuclear deterrent; and the focus, though dialled down, on #terrorism.

6/12: The #IndoPacific tilt was hyped as a big change, but the text is less dramatic: a post #Brexit turbo charge of a longstanding policy to step up trade & diplomacy in #Asia, now with added focus on security & defence, linked to China.

7/12: On #China the Review tiptoes between a more adversarial posture & continuing engagement. “We will continue to pursue a positive trade & investment relationship while ensuring that our security & values are protected” feels more European than American.

8/12: So what is new? The key word is “integrated”. The Review is a significant step in connecting domestic & international aspects of security, as well as traditional & innovative instruments of foreign policy. A push to join up the baronies of #Whitehall

9/12: The stress on #science & #technology as foundations of both competitiveness & security is positive. Important sections on #cyber, AI & ownership of/access to emerging technologies. This links to the focus on #resilience of infrastructure & supply chains.

10/12: Making #climate change top priority is new but not surprising. It highlights the dual imperatives of international cooperation on global challenges & closer alignment of international & domestic policy. These will be #UK themes in #G7 & #COP26

11/12: The Review’s huge failing is to ignore #EU. It sees Europe through the lenses of #NATO & bilateral relations, dismissing a collective EU relationship. It skates over how, with that mindset, UK will succeed in #trade or influence regulation of new technologies.

12/12: The #integratedreview is the start of a process; stronger on analysis & aspiration than choices & delivery. Resources will be tight after #Covid. We need more detail in promised papers on cyber, AI & national resilience - & serious, integrated follow through.