‘Danger, disorder and division’: defence review refresh sees a more hostile world

Reworking of policy marks Britain's changed view of its position in light of tilt to authoritarianism and volatility

Britain's refresh of its defence and foreign policy may mark the moment when the UK sobers up about its place in a world that it now describes as defined by danger, disorder and division", and increasingly tilting to authoritarianism.

Gone is the optimistic Global Britain bombast of the Boris Johnson era, set out in the original integrated review only two years ago. That version championed the UK as a beacon of democratic sovereignty" and one of the most influential countries in the world, and hailed its ability to draw on its post-Brexit status to do things differently, economically and politically".

What has changed is that our collective security now is intrinsically linked to the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine."

The transition into a multipolar, fragmented and contested world has happened more quickly and definitively than anticipated. We are now in a period of heightened risk and volatility that is likely to last beyond the 2030s."

A growing convergence of authoritarian states are challenging the basic conditions for an open, stable and peaceful international order, working together to undermine the international system or remake it in their image."