The Foreign Historiography of the British Foreign Policy Process (1990-2010)

Abstract

The paper deals with the analysis of the foreign historiography of the British foreign policy during 1990-2010. The author analyses the main aspects of British European politics that attracted attention of foreign researchers, as well as the British-American special relations and British position towards the regional conflict management. The political events from the U.K. accession to the European Economic Community (1973) to the retirement of the Gordon Brown’s cabinet (2010) have been revised for better understanding of general political trends. The study investigates the works analysing of the Britain’s European policy, its specific features and the correlation between Atlanticism and Europeanism in the British foreign policy. It as well formulates a number of analytical conclusions related to the formation of the U.K.’s position towards the regional conflicts from the Bosnian War (1992-1995) to the Russian-Georgian conflict (2008). The events associated with the referendum on Brexit (2016) highlight the importance of a study of the British foreign policy process. In this regard, it seems expedient to study such aspects as the foreign policy decision-making mechanisms, the definition of their motivations and the influence of democratic institutions such as political parties and nongovernmental organizations thereupon. The study of this issue will contribute to the formation of a scientific concept for the development of Ukrainian democratic institutions.