Exceptionalist ideas have long influenced British foreign policy. As Britain begins to confront the challenges of a post-Brexit era in an increasingly unstable world, a re-examination of the nature and causes of this exceptionalist bent is in order.

Arguing that Britain's search for greatness in world affairs was, and still is, a matter of habit, Srdjan Vucetic takes a closer look at the period between Clement Attlee's "New Jerusalem" and Tony Blair's New Labour. Britain's tenacious pursuit of global power was never just a function of consensus among policymakers or even political elites more broadly. Rather, it developed from popular, everyday, and gradually evolving ideas about identity circulating within British – and, more specifically, English – society as a whole. To uncover these ideas, Vucetic works with a unique archive of political speeches, newspapers, history textbooks, novels, and movies across colonial, Cold War, and post–Cold War periods.

Greatness and Decline sheds new light on Britain's interactions with the rest of the world while demonstrating new possibilities for constructivist foreign policy analysis.

Srdjan Vucetic is associate professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa.

Srdjan Vucetic's profile page

“[S]ystematic, successful and persuasive attempt at according national identity a place in explaining foreign policy formation.” Political Studies Review

“Greatness and Decline provides an insightful look into how domestic cultural struggles and national identity have concrete consequences for foreign policy. If one looks at today’s political debates in London, one would hardly be able to dismiss the thrust of Vucetic’s argument about the importance of national identity and how it operates.” Cambridge Review of International Affairs

“[Vucetic] links popular culture with wider views on foreign policymaking effectively and makes a compelling argument for linking the two elements together. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone writing on, or studying, British foreign policy. It makes a valuable contribution to the field.” International Journal

"Greatness and Decline is a thought-provoking and impressively detailed account of British foreign policy in the second half of the twentieth century. It holds valuable insights for scholars of UK foreign policy and national identity alike, and the methodology pursued could well be applied productively in other contexts." International Affairs