Status Insecurity and Hedging Engagement: the UK’s Contribution to European Security After Brexit

Status-seeking behavior in the international system is a thriving area of research for scholars of international relations. States are security-seekers because, like individuals, they are driven by the desire to determine their worth based on how they compare with others. States aspire to a positive social comparison with others, fostering a positive self-image. They will tend to address a situation in which they perceive a disadvantageous social comparison with others. Yet, while states derive self-esteem through comparison with others, they also derive self-esteem through addressing the consequences of their own actions. My article argues that the UK experienced status insecurity after the Brexit referendum as it faced the prospect of losing influence within the EU. The UK was no longer certain about the strategic goals it should pursue with respect to the EU. Scholarship has focused on the implications of this for the future of the UK’s European diplomatic strategy. Far less attention has been paid to the repercussions for the UK’s contribution to European security. I observe that status insecurity led London to hedge its engagement with European security by pursuing different modes of engagement at the same time. Firstly, it reasserted its membership of and role within NATO, seeking to ensure continuity in its Atlanticist stance. Secondly, it extended bilateral defence collaboration with individual EU member states, making up for the loss of influence in the EU’s decision-making machinery. Thirdly, it sought to negotiate a role for itself in security negotiations with the EU, seemingly wishing to maintain attachment to EU defence initiatives. Put differently, status insecurity prompted the UK to do more for European security, seeking greater influence with a diminished prospect of influencing EU decision-making. The implications of this for the UK and the EU are explored and discussed.