IIEA Talks

John Bew - 23rd of April 2026

IIEA Talks

Show Notes

'Security, Strategy and Statecraft'

Former advisor to four British prime ministers, Prof John Bew, joins this edition of IIEA Insights to discuss the strategic predicament of Europe, the UK, and Ireland. He explores how Britain’s national security strategy has evolved, along with the implications for Ireland, the risks of a full-scale European war, and possible future security architecture for the continent. He also examines current and future transatlantic relations and what sort of equilibrium might emerge in EU-UK relations.

John Bew CMG is Professor of History and Foreign Policy at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and former advisor to four British prime ministers. He served as penholder on the last three UK national security strategies and was closely involved in the shaping of the most recent NATO Strategic Concept. In 2012, he became the youngest ever holder of the Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Library of Congress and in 2015 he won the Philip Leverhulme Prize for International Studies. The Ulsterman is the author of five books, many academic articles, and a number of edited collections.

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