Remaining Relevant

Posted: September 6th, 2016

By Lisa Aronsson

Lisa Aronsson is currently a visiting fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC. She is working on joint projects related to NATO and European defense, US-UK and wider transatlantic security and defense cooperation. She has been at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London as head of program and as research fellow in transatlantic security studies since October 2008. At RUSI, she is responsible for building its program of research on transatlantic security issues, leading related projects, hosting seminars and conferences, writing and commenting on matters related to US foreign policy, European defense issues, US-UK and wider transatlantic cooperation. Prior to joining RUSI, Lisa completed her PhD in international relations at the London School of Economics under the supervision of Professor Michael Cox. Her doctoral research explored international relations theory and transatlantic cooperation and institution-building after the Cold War. She has written on contemporary transatlantic relations, the transformation of NATO, climate change negotiations, international organizations, and systemic change since the end of the Cold War. While at the LSE, she taught courses in international relations and history and received an LSE Teaching Award in 2007. She also worked for four years at the LSE IDEAS and Cold War Studies Centre where she was a co-founder and then Advisory Board member of the Transatlantic Project at LSE IDEAS. Lisa has a PhD in international relations and a masters with distinction in international history from the London School of Economics and a BA magna cum laude from Wellesley College.

The British people shocked the international community when they voted to quit the European Union (EU) this summer. Markets tumbled and fears mounted that the United Kingdom (UK) or the EU might fall into political or economic crisis, or begin to unravel completely. Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Theresa May attempted to deliver some clarity with “Brexit means Brexit,” and her vow to focus on the needs of working people across the UK during her tenure in Downing Street. These domestic priorities will define her legacy, but Brexit will undoubtedly have implications for British defense and security policies, too.

At present, one can only speculate about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Prime Minister May looks likely to stay the course on defense policy as she negotiates the UK’s separation from the EU. Michael Fallon will keep his post as Defense Minister, evidence of her preference for consistency in defense policy. Her voting record also shows a typical conservative approach to foreign and defense policy, and her tenure as Home Secretary prepares her for an early focus on terrorism, migration, and on the troubled regions to Europe’s south and east generating so much instability. May’s top defense and security challenges are to ensure that the UK remains central for European defense and that the special relationship thrives, that a global UK foreign policy remains credible, and that all of this remains affordable.

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