Peter Ricketts

on Europe

Member of the UK House of Lords; former UK National Security Advisor Fisher Family Fellow, 2017-2018

Britain and Europe are both facing something of a Dean Acheson moment. Brexit means that Britain has once again lost one role and is in search of another. The British people have to move on from nostalgic memories of past glories and come to terms with the reality that their influence in the world, although still considerable, has diminished. Britain badly needs a new national strategy and then to convince our allies that we are back as a reliable partner with the ideas and the commitment to help solve the world’s problems. The EU without Britain has to decide finally whether it is a regional grouping largely focused on its own economic interests, or a first-division foreign policy player with global interests and responsibilities. Resolving that long-standing ambiguity is even more important given the challenge from China. The real opportunity for both Britain and Europe in the next decade is to define an approach to China with the U.S. which combines deterrence of military adventures, vigilance on security and technology threats, trade, and investment cooperation and partnership in tackling climate change. Achieving that would both enhance global security and reinvigorate the Western alliance.

What advice do you have for the next generation of diplomatic practitioners?

In an interconnected world, the link between international and domestic affairs has never been closer, yet foreign policy is largely seen as an elite pursuit remote from the life of most citizens. The next generation of diplomats need to involve a far wider range of people in decisions which will have a major bearing on their livelihood, using all the digital tools which were not available to my generation.