Success and Failure in British Foreign Policy

The twentieth century posed great challenges for British foreign policymakers. How effectively did they cope with decline and change? Were they as pragmatic as they claimed? Are there identifiable patterns of success and failure? These are the questions Peter Mangold answers in the first thematic account of British foreign policy between 1900 and 2000. Issues covered include Imperial overstretch, the reluctance to engage politically or militarily with Europe, alliance management, force, loss of Great Power status, Britain's impact on the international system and future prospect.

• Europe
• foreign policy
• Policy
• British Politics

PETER MANGOLD worked in the Research Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1972-5), and with the BBC World Service as a talkswriter, producer and editor, (1975-97) and was a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony's College, Oxford , (1997-2000). He is the author of Superpower Intervention in the Middle East, National Security and International Relations, and From Tirpitz to Gorbachev: Power Politics in the Twentieth Century.

Policies and ethics