Britain’s Quest for a Role. A Diplomatic Memoir from Europe to the UN

Britain’s relative post-imperial decline has been much examined. In these memoirs, David Hannay, one of Britain’s leading behind-the-scenes players in this process, provides fascinating frontline information and insights into Britain’s complex relations with the United States and Europe. From his early career in Tehran and Kabul to his role as a top diplomat, Hannay presents a detailed and authoritative narrative of British foreign policy in the second half of the twentieth century. A key player in European policymaking, he was directly involved in the negotiations for the UK’s entry into the European Community. He illuminates vital themes in the relationship between Britain and the EU that are increasingly relevant today: British membership, Britain’s contribution to the European budget and EU enlargement. His qualifications to discuss Europe are unparalleled, made apparent by Margaret Thatcher’s veto of his appointment as Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service because she thought him ‘too European’.

For five years thereafter, Hannay was Britain’s representative on the UN Security Council during the tumultuous events that followed the end of the Cold War. From the complex relations between Margaret Thatcher and her diplomatic establishment to Britain’s decisions during the 1970s oil supply crises, the attempts to reach a negotiated solution to the Cyprus problem and the challenge of UN reform, Hannay analyses the causes and consequences of major British foreign policy decisions over the past 50 years. He presents to readers the inner workings of key institutions – the British Foreign Office, the EU and the UN – against the backdrop of major historical and political events, from the aftermath of the Suez crisis to 9/11 and beyond.