Political Role
- During the days of the British Empire, the UK was a major influence in world affairs
- British political, economic, social and cultural influences dramatically shaped many countries it ruled
- Nowadays, the UK's influence is less but still plays an important role in global politics
- This is achieved by being a member of major global organisations such as:
- World Bank (WB): formed at the end of WWII to help rebuild Europe
- As a founding member, the UK and the WB work together to develop policies on a wide range of issues, such as conflict prevention, governance, health, and education
- United Nations (UN): founded in 1945 to maintain peace and resolve internal conflicts
- The UN aims to provide aid during crises, along with helping countries to achieve sustainable growth
- North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO): a group of 28 countries, including the USA and many European countries, who work together to ensure their own security
- They try to prevent conflict by promoting cooperation and resolving conflict by political means (e.g. overseeing negotiations) and military means (as a last resort)
- Group of Seven (G7): seven members (UK, USA, France, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Italy) who meet once a year to discuss relevant issues, including economic policies, conflict, energy supply and security, and come to agreements about how best to approach them
- This used to be the G8, but Russia was forced out in 2014, after it seized Crimea
- Member countries, including the UK, imposed sanctions on Russia e.g. restricting the amount of money Russian banks can borrow and limiting trade with Russia
- World Bank (WB): formed at the end of WWII to help rebuild Europe
UK's role in conflict zones
- A conflict zone is an area where two or more groups are in disagreement which results in economic, social, or military aggression
- Current examples of countries in conflict that the UK has some involvement include:
- Syria
- Syria's civil war has resulted in more than 350,000 people being killed since 2011
- 14 million of Syria's 21 million population, have been forced to flee
- Of that, 6.8 million, remain internally displaced within Syria
- Approximately 5.5 million refugees have fled to 5 neighbouring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq
- About 1 million Syrians crossed into Europe to seek asylum, including 34,000 to the UK
- Germany is the largest host country with more than 850,000 Syrian refugees
- 90% of the remaining population lives below the poverty line
- The UK has provided a total of £3.8 billion in official development assistance (ODA) to Syria from 2011 to 2022
- Since 2011, Syria has been one of the largest recipients of UK bilateral ODA in Asia
- For 2023, the Government pledged £150 million to Syria and a further £43 million to Turkey and Syria following the February 2023 earthquakes
- Yemen
- The UK played a crucial role in the establishment of the People's Republic of South Yemen after withdrawing as colonial rulers in 1967
- The UK is a donor to the humanitarian relief effort in Yemen and provides training to the Saudi and Yemeni forces to fight the Houthi rebels
- The UK has given over £1 billion in aid to Yemen since 2015, although the amount is falling each year, the UK has pledged £88 million in 2022/23
- Afghanistan
- Between 1878 and 1880, British-Indian forces fought to keep Afghanistan free from Russian interference
- In 2001 after the '9/11' terrorist attacks in America, the UK, with the US and other allies, sent troops to destroy al-Qaeda, and the Taliban who had backed them
- In 2011, after the assassination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US Special Forces, the UK began withdrawing from Afghanistan and culminated in 2014 with Camp Bastion being handed over to Afghan forces
- With the Taliban's return to power in 2021, the UK formally withdrew all training and advisory assistance
- Ukraine
- When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the UK has provided a range of economic, humanitarian, and defensive military aid to Ukraine, along with economic sanctions on Russia
- From 2010 to 2020, the UK provided approx. £204 million in conditional bilateral aid (aid has been given for a specific programme or purpose) to Ukraine
- Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK has provided £4.6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine
- The UK is willing to guarantee lending to Ukraine from multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank (WB), of which the UK is a founding member
- In February 2022, the UK guaranteed up to US$1.5 billion in multilateral development bank lending to Ukraine
- Also as a G7 member, during the June 2022 summit, the G7 members pledged £24 billion in budget support for Ukraine, and a further £2.3 billion in humanitarian aid
- Somalia
- Formed in 1960 after the withdrawal of Italy and the UK
- Disputes over land that Somali people settled broke out between Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia
- With the removal of the Somali president in1991, chaos ensued, with no formal government in charge for 20 years
- Drought and famine killed an estimated 500,000 people due to a lack of government
- In 2012 an internationally backed government was established and a degree of stability returned
- However, this has left Somalia as one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world
- Somalia has been linked with Islamic terrorism and piracy with ships being attacked in the Indian Ocean, with passengers and crews being held ransom
- The UK has sent aid, money, and troops in a bid to help Somalia regain stability, rebuild Mogadishu's central prison and build an anti-piracy naval force
- Several UK NGOs such as Oxfam and Save the Children, work in Somalia to reduce poverty and issues of health and women's rights
- Syria
Worked example
Outline the UK’s role in one global conflict through its involvement in international organisations
[6 marks]
- The command word 'outline' requires you to provide a brief written account
- The focus of your answer should be through which organisation the UK has played a role in a global conflict
- Name the global conflict, state the organisation and explain how the UK is involved
- This is a levelled response answer. It is important to remember that each point does not equate to a mark. The examiner will read your whole answer and make a decision about which level your answer fits into
Answer:
- The UK has been involved in the conflicts in Afghanistan, which have been ongoing since 2003. Working as part of a NATO operation, UK troops have helped to stop the country from becoming a safe place for international terrorists to launch attacks on NATO member countries. This was in response to the '9/11' terrorist attacks in New York that were supported by Iraq in 2001, in which 67 British citizens lost their lives. The UK was involved because the NATO treaty states that members should defend one another if attacked. UK troops occupied Afghanistan to protect Afghan citizens and to create conditions where the new Afghan government could administer themselves and help the fight against terrorism. The conflict has resulted in extensive damage and destruction, and people have been forced to flee the country. The UK Government provided £3.5 billion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021. The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) pledged over £750 million in aid, economic development and reconstruction of Afghan's damaged buildings and infrastructure as a result of the conflict. UK charities such as Oxfam sent aid to the displaced people.
