BRIDGING THE GULF? AMERICA'S 'REBALANCE' AND THE MIDDLE EAST CHALLENGE FORTHE UK

摘要

Strategy is often about choices and those made in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review will have significant implications for the future of UK defence and wider national security. The US has already made profound choices in this regard: it is rebalancing to East Asia. The implications for the UK, both as a US partner and a major European military power, include the possibility of deeper engagement with the Middle East and North Africa. Doug Stokes and Paul Newton examine the UK's nascent 'east of Suez' initiative, its key interests as well as the geopolitical drivers, dangers and opportunities involved. As the US seeks greater burden-sharing from its European allies, should the UK bridge the Gulf?