Description
As the UK has regained its economic statecraft autonomy after departing from the EU, it is observed an outward-looking “Global Britain” approach is characterised in the post-Brexit trade policy discourse to forge deeper and closer international trade partnerships. Nonetheless, this globalist trade policy approach, rooted in the neoliberal economic philosophy, is considered at odds with the public’s demand for “taking back control” as expressed in the Brexit referendum. Such an irreconcilable phenomenon therefore yearns for a persuasive explanation from the study of foreign policy analysis.
Since the inherent dichotomy between embracing globalisation and upholding economic nationalism, as illustrated in Rodrik’s globalisation paradox literature, has duly reflected the tension in the Brexit debate, this paper selects to place the investigation under this IPE theoretical framework to shed light on explaining this puzzling phenomenon.
To unpack the social meanings behind “Global Britain” in post-Brexit trade policy discourse, role theory applied in international relations is selected as the analytical framework for conducting a discursive analysis within a constructivist perspective. The findings reveal three key pillars that underpin the notion of "Global Britain" as a national role conception, all tracing back to the ideology of British exceptionalism.
Firstly, the “Global Britain” trade policy discourse stressed a pragmatic approach to economic globalisation unique to its historical background. This is later extended to its strong emphasis on indirect and non-economic benefits in the form of positive externalities, only enjoyed by embracing the global network at this critical stage of development. Most importantly, “Global Britain” is conveyed as a strategic cooperation with different actors across subject fields, in order to afford greater leverage when advancing its position in the global system. This paper is interested to know how the role of “Global Britain”, permeated through the intersubjective ideology of British exceptionalism, is exploited to manage and resolve the globalisation paradox. Insightful findings from this paper are expected to provide wider perspectives on the current globalisation debate in the IPE literature, as well as an expanded usage of role theory in future studies in foreign policy analysis.
