GEOPOLITICS OF THE 2015 BRITISH DEFENSE WHITE PAPER AND ITS HISTORICAL PREDECESSORS
BERT CHAPMANABSTRACT. On November 23, 2015 the United Kingdom (UK) released a defense white paper detailing its national security strategic objectives. This work examines the geopolitical, economic, and strategic implications of this document and compares it with recent and historical defense white paper documents issued by the British government. It scrutinizes the text of these documents and relevant scholarly literature analyzing them while also examining the national security threats facing the UK at the time of their issuance and assesses whether the 2015 document will be supported with requisite political will, military personnel, and financial support to carry out its objectives. pp. 42–63
Keywords: UK; defense white paper; national security strategic objective
How to cite: Chapman, Bert (2016), “Geopolitics of the 2015 British Defense White Paper and Its Historical Predecessors,” Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 8(2): 42–63.
Received 16 December 2015 • Received in revised form 8 February 2016
Accepted 9 February 2016 • Available online 25 February 2016
doi:10.22381/GHIR8220163