By Rory Medcalf
If you believe the rhetoric, Britain is coming back as a security player in Asia.
It may not be exactly a reversal of the 1971 East (from London’s perspective) of Suez withdrawal. But on January 18th British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary William Hague are due to visit Perth, Western Australia, to talk to their Australian counterparts about – among other things – how these two nations can support each other’s security in the Asian century.
And it is not only Australia that seems comfortable with seeing a bit more of the Union Jack West of Suez. Curiously, Japan's new prime minister – who is not known for his fussiness about historical sensitivities – recently invited, “Britain and France to stage a comeback in terms of participating in strengthening Asia’s security.” According to Abe, “The sea-faring democracies in Japan’s part of the world would be much better off with their renewed presence.”
Yet serious questions have to be asked about what Britain, or indeed Europe more generally, can really do shape or respond to the strategic situation in Indo-Pacific Asia.
Read the full story at The Diplomat