英国的外交关系.docVIP

Chapter 11 British Foreign Relations 英国的外交关系 I. the British empire and its end --- the Britain used to rule 1/3 of the globe and thus became a great empire in the world. After the WWII, the British empire began to decline as more and more former colonies declared their political independence. Throughout the next few decades, the process of decolonization continued, though sometimes the process was full of violence. The end of the great British empire was inevitable. Today the age of British imperialism is gone. But the British foreign policy is still influenced by Britain’s imperial past. And because it had a strong military power and prestige, it had a big influence on the postwar international order. (*Some former colonies—Australia and Canada— still looked to Britain as the center of their political and cultural world.) II. the foundations of British foreign policy --- the contemporary foreign policy of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopolitical traits(地缘政治特点). 1）As Britain lost its empire so recently, British policy-makers frequently forget that Britain is not as influential as it used to be in world affairs. 2）Another decisive influence upon the way Britain handles its external affairs is geopolitical. As Britain is an island, it has created a sense of isolation in its subjects, which results in Britain’s schizophrenic(精神分裂的，反复无常的) attitude to Europe. (But Britain’s physical isolation has long been reduced by the development of airlines and more recently by the opening of the Channel Tunnel, which links Britain to continental Europe) III. the making of Britain’s foreign policy ---The general direction of Britain’s foreign policy is mainly decided by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)(英国联邦与国际事务部), the main government department, plays a significant role in the making of Britain’s foreign policy. Many other government ministries such as the Ministry of Defence and the Department