Making British Defence Policy

This book explores the process by which defence policy is made in contemporary Britain and the institutions, actors and conflicting interests which interact in its inception and continuous reformulation.

Informationen zum Autor Robert Self is a specialist in interwar Britain having published several important archival studies including a biography of Neville Chamberlain and a study of the inter-Allied war debt controversy between 1917 and 1941. Since his retirement as Professor of British Politics and Contemporary History, he has turned his attention to the study of recent British foreign and defence policy. Klappentext This book explores the process by which defence policy is made in contemporary Britain and the institutions, actors and conflicting interests which interact in its inception and continuous reformulation.Rather than dealing with the substance of defence policy, this study focuses upon the institutional actors involved in this process. This is a subject which has commanded far more interest from public, Parliament, government and the armed forces since the protracted, bloody and ultimately unsuccessful British military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work begins with a discussion of two contextual factors shaping policy. The first relates to the impact of Britain's 'special relationship' with the United States over defence and intelligence matters, while the second considers the impact of Britain's relatively disappointing economic performance upon the funding of British defence since 1945. It then goes on to explore the role and impact of all the key policy actors, from the Prime Minister, Cabinet and core executive, to the Ministry of Defence and its relations with the broader 'Whitehall village', and the Foreign Office and Treasury in particular. The work concludes by examining the increasing influence of external policy actors and forces, such as Parliament, the courts, political parties, pressure groups and public opinion.This book will be of much interest to students of British defence policy, security studies, and contemporary military history. Zusammenfassung This book explores the process by which defence policy is made in contemporary Britain and the institutions, actors and conflicting interests which interact in its inception and continuous reformulation. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Making Defence Policy in Contemporary Britain 2 The diplomatic and economic context for defence policy-making 3 The Ministry of Defence in transition 4 The Prime Minister and the 'central direction of defence' 5 Cabinet government and defence policy 6 The Defence Secretary and their department 7 Departmental politics within the Whitehall village 8 The Treasury and financial control in an age of austerity 9 Civil-military relations in Britain 10 The Armed Forces, judiciary and the fear of legal encirclement 11 The influence of Parliament over defence policy 12 Political parties, pressure groups and public opinion 13 Conclusions Bibliography Appendix: Ministers, Permanent Under-Secretaries and Chief of Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence since 1946 ...

Autorentext

Robert Self is a specialist in interwar Britain having published several important archival studies including a biography of Neville Chamberlain and a study of the inter-Allied war debt controversy between 1917 and 1941. Since his retirement as Professor of British Politics and Contemporary History, he has turned his attention to the study of recent British foreign and defence policy.

Inhalt

1 Making Defence Policy in Contemporary Britain

2 The diplomatic and economic context for defence policy-making

3 The Ministry of Defence in transition

4 The Prime Minister and the 'central direction of defence'

5 Cabinet government and defence policy

6 The Defence Secretary and their department

7 Departmental politics within the Whitehall village

8 The Treasury and financial control in an age of austerity

9 Civil-military relations in Britain

10 The Armed Forces, judiciary and the fear of legal encirclement

11 The influence of Parliament over defence policy

12 Political parties, pressure groups and public opinion

13 Conclusions

Bibliography

Appendix: Ministers, Permanent Under-Secretaries and Chief of Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence since 1946