A Greater Britain Rethinking the UK’s Global Strategy
Britain is no longer the great power it once was. Caught between an unmoored America and a fractured Europe, it confronts rising authoritarian challenges from China and Russia, while its domestic debates drift into abstract and ideological moralising. Lacking a coherent vision for the future, the country risks sliding further into managed decline, its global relevance steadily eroded.
Yet such a trajectory is not inevitable. In this clear-eyed assessment of Britain’s economic, ideological and strategic vulnerabilities, Azeem Ibrahim identifies the essential building blocks of renewal. Drawing on the realist school of strategic thought, he outlines a programme of legal, bureaucratic and fiscal reforms that will allow a genuinely independent Britain to capitalise on its core strengths. After all, as a lean and specialised nuclear power with one of the world’s most sophisticated intelligence networks, as well as world-class universities and a cultural reach second only to the US, the UK can still shape global affairs.
A Greater Britain argues that a clear strategic anchor and bold leadership are needed if the UK is to convert its advantages into real influence. By formulating a pioneering Knowledge Power Doctrine, the book offers a grand strategy for a once powerful nation, providing nothing short of a roadmap back to British greatness.
Reviews
“Azeem Ibrahim has produced a powerful call for Britain to revivify some of the strategic traditions which served it so well in the past. In this important book, he advocates a shift away from cautious managerialism to a renewal of national purpose, in both domestic and international affairs.”
Professor John Bew, former chief foreign policy advisor to four UK Prime Ministers
“In A Greater Britain, Azeem Ibrahim highlights the qualities that have long made Britain a force for good. He outlines the reforms that are needed if the country is to realise its full potential and argues for a bold grand strategy – one befitting a leading middle power with strong strategic partnerships – to help shape a global order fit for the twenty-first century.”
Emma Sky OBE, founding director of Yale’s International Leadership Center
“Azeem Ibrahim offers a bold and thought-provoking contribution to the debate about Britain’s role in a changing world. Whether one agrees with every prescription or not, his strategic clarity and global perspective make this an important and timely book for anyone serious about the UK’s future.”
Sir Sajid Javid, former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer
“Azeem Ibrahim’s compelling book, A Greater Britain, is a masterful and urgent wake-up call for Britain’s policymakers and thought leaders. It is an emphatic rejection of the idea of British decline and offers a powerful agenda for British regeneration and renewal, based upon the firm foundations of the transatlantic alliance. The bold ideas presented by Ibrahim, based on decades of experience as a leading national security expert, are essential reading on both sides of the Atlantic at a critical moment for the free world.”
Dr Nile Gardiner, director, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation
“A closely reasoned, sober and compelling critique of British statecraft and how it can be improved.”
Brendan Simms, professor of the history of international relations, University of Cambridge
“A Greater Britain is a bold, intellectually rigorous and timely work that challenges conventional thinking about Britain’s role in a rapidly fragmenting global order. Azeem Ibrahim combines academic depth with real-world policy insight to deliver a compelling blueprint for British statecraft, growth and influence in this developing century. This is essential reading for policymakers, business leaders and anyone serious about the future of Britain.”
Sir Brandon Lewis, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
“A Greater Britain is a bracing call for the UK to rediscover the purpose, confidence and strategic discipline that once made it a global leader. Dr Ibrahim masterfully outlines how Britain need not accept managed decline as inevitable in an era where the threat of an increasingly authoritarian world order demands our attention. Combining sharp diagnosis with a coherent programme for renewal, he sets out how Britain can reclaim its voice through economic strength, institutional reform, strategic alliances and cultural confidence. This is an urgent call to action for a nation that must choose relevance over drift and purpose over paralysis, as it puts to work the potential squandered by years of timid leadership.”
Dr Alan Mendoza, chief foreign policy advisor, Reform
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- Hardback, 384 pages
- ISBN: 9781785909825
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20 January 2026
Available to pre-order - £25.00
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781837360062
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20 January 2026
Available to pre-order - £19.99