Exercise 29. There is part A given to you. Make up part B by your own. Listen to the Student A and react in an adequate way as Student B. You must fit in the pause left for you

Part B
Reading and Comprehension

Text
The Role of the UK in the Modern World

“Great Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role.”

Dean Aicheson, US Secretary of State 1949-1953

At the beginning of the last century few would have had much doubt about what the UK’s role in the world was. The ‘workshop of the world’, the first industrialised nation had acquired the world’s largest empire. Britain was committed to Pax Britannica, maintaining a balance of power through diplomacy, alliances and military might that it hoped would enable it to continue to dominate world trade.

This position of global dominance was undermined by the emergence of new powers such as the USA and Germany, the costs of two world wars, the struggle for independence among the colonies and the impact of economic globalisation.

The role of the UK in the world has become more widely debated in recent years. Deciding on this role has been influenced by issues such as whether to ally more closely with the USA or Europe, whether an ‘ethical’ foreign policy is desirable or achievable, how ‘British’ our increasingly multicultural society sees itself, and whether the nation-state has any meaning in an era of rapid changes in mobility, technology and communication, facing global challenges such as inequality and climate change.

The world beyond Britain’s shores is changing radically and these changes will affect the UK’s long-term national interests and the wellbeing of its citizens. Ignoring these changes or making the wrong policy choices will carry serious consequences that will be difficult to address later.

Peace in Europe and the absence of major international conflict on the scale of the First and Second World Wars have provided the stable backdrop for the UK’s economic growth in recent decades. That is why Britain possesses strengths that give it the potential to influence the international context in ways that advance its national interest. However, the competition over resources could turn out to be one of the main sources of conflict between (as well as within) states in the coming decades. Until the end of the twentieth century, weak governance and the rise of violence and terrorism in ‘far-off countries’ carried few direct consequences for the UK. Now, the country is more exposed than most to the risks that emanate from these unstable and ungoverned spaces. Whether in the shape of international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, illegal migration, or the spread of infectious disease, the fact is that poverty, conflict, lawlessness and resentment in distant countries can have serious effects on the security and welfare of British citizens and society as a whole.

The UK retains important comparative economic advantages. Its capacity as an intermediator of diplomacy, finance and knowledge, in addition to its position in premier international organizations and informal networks – such as the European Union, United Nations Security Council, NATO, the International Monetary Fund, the G8, G20 and the Commonwealth – will be especially important in a less hierarchical world where the power of nation-states is becoming increasingly diffuse. In an era in which domestic security and prosperity will be determined significantly by international forces, a global role for the UK is a necessity, not a luxury.

In a world that is increasingly interconnected but less hierarchical, the UK has the potential to be a powerful conduit of ideas and a facilitator of solutions that will have positive global outcomes while also promoting the security and prosperity of its own people.

The UK’s future role in the world is far from predetermined. International politics are in flux, and unexpected developments will not always play out in its favour. The choices the government makes in the near future will determine whether the country makes the most of its existing strengths and considerable potential.

In the end, support from the British public will be essential that is why the government must talk frequently, openly and honestly about how the world is changing, about the challenges, opportunities and choices that this presents and the resources that the UK should be prepared to allocate to promote its future prosperity and security.

/after Internet sources/