UK-GCC relations after Brexit, The delusions of “Global Britain”

Abstract

Almost four years after the Brexit vote, the United Kingdom has effectively
left the European Union in February 2020. While London is still negotiating
the details of its new relationship with Europe, many observers expect
the Brexit to be a turning point in the UK’s foreign policy, including in its
relationship towards the Middle East. Caught between the need to secure
economic opportunities with Gulf countries, and the issue of seeing its
economic and political levers decrease in the Middle East, the UK is being
confronted to a growing gap between its dreams of « Global Britain » and
the reality of its decreasing influence on the international stage.