Whither 'Global Britain'

Indeed, the image circulating around the world — and in Russia in particular — is of something of a beer-fest and hedonistic haven for Boris and his band of “lads” and “lasses.” WhenNovaya Gazeta reporter Evgeniya Dillendorf asked why the British people put up with Johnson and his government, she said she always received the same answer: “Give it time, one day the straw will break the camel's back.”

Despite the grandiosity of his words back in 2016, there is no question that Johnson’s post-Brexit Britain is still searching for its global identity — and direction. It is no longer part of the European Economic Market. It is miles off doing a trade deal with the United States, and latching on to the Australian submarine deal that elbowed out its French rivals across the Channel. Foreign policy observers also noted that President Biden’s abrupt withdrawal this past summer from Afghanistan caught Johnson largely unaware and left the British foreign policy establishment leaders looking like bystanders.

Some even question whether the Kremlin is pulling strings in Whitehall

And despite Johnson’s enthusiastic cheers for a “buccaneering” Britain that would reinvent itself as a global leader, it is having trouble being taken seriously.

Last March, the Johnson government published a treatise “Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.” Though its importance has been somewhat lost in the fog of COVID-19 and Brexit, the review is probably Britain’s most substantial strategic rethink to foreign policy since the Cold War. But it lacks substance and definitive ideas towards leaving its footprint internationally. It also needs a leader to match its ambitions. So far, at least, Johnson shows no sign of being that person.

Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin

Agent of the Kremlin?

Not only is Britain unable to sway Moscow, some even question whether the Kremlin is pulling strings in Whitehall. Johnson has been forced to face questions last year about certain Russian oligarchs providing financial support to the Conservative party.

What makes this situation all the more troubling is the fact that Johnson has tried to make his personal and ideological antagonism with Vladimir Putin a centerpiece of his foreign policy. He has publicly promised to prove to Putin that Western liberalism is alive and well. British politicians, leading British media and intelligence officials are accusing the Conservative party of being the ones who actually received support from Russia, with Russian news agency Ria Novosti calling Johnson an “agent of the Kremlin.”

Still, the British diplomatic establishment, military and intelligence operations are far from dead and buried. The UK Foreign Office made waves last week by publicly accusing Russia of planning to bring a pro-Russian leader to power in Kyiv. As reported by Kommersant, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the accusations disinformation, “stupid and absurd.”

As Britain waits to see the full fallout of Sue Gray’s report on the prime minister’s party (and party) management, it is important to remember that even if Boris Johnson saves his political career at home, it may be already over abroad.