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foreign affairs in strategic context
Browsing All Posts filed under »Bismarck«
From the Archives: Civilization III
Daniel Knowles of the Telegraph wrote a great piece on the video game Civilization today, which I used to play constantly before I went to university. The following is an account I wrote of a scenario I played in August 2007 (it was the day before I received my A Level results, so I had […]
David Cameron can avoid a war with Argentina by preparing for one
February 2, 2012
It sometimes feels like the Cameron premiership has so far been a replay of the early Thatcher one what with the cuts, the riots, bust-ups with France, and backbench discontent over the direction of the government. This sense of de jà vu is heightened by tensions over the Falkland Islands a month before the 30th […]
Why Britain is not isolated in Europe
December 13, 2011
Since the European Summit on Friday, when David Cameron blocked an EU-wide treaty, many in the media have talked a lot of balls about the United Kingdom and “isolation”. Those who have criticised the Prime Minister, (who, funnily enough, have mostly been Europhiles), have bemoaned our lack of “influence” in Europe. If one follows the […]
Don’t bring in the Bismarck unless you know what you’re doing
October 4, 2010
There are few things more dangerous than a historical analogy. It must be made carefully, the scenarios mirroring one another as much possible if people like me aren’t going to ridicule it. And if the comparison is with a period the reader fancies himself knowledgeable on, each sentence better be referenced by at least six […]
Comparing and contrasting Palmerston and Blair
September 29, 2010
My paper about Afghanistan and the British Conservative Party has led inevitably to Tony Blair, and there is a very good piece by Steven Haines looking at the extent to which the former prime minister influenced British defence policy. Throughout the piece, Haines poses a dichotomy between Blair and Lord Palmerston when it comes to […]
June 12, 2012
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