Lords Committee examines the UK-US foreign policy relationship

On Wednesday 4 June the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee will hear from experts in an evidence session that will explore the foreign policy relationship between the UK and the US.

The session will start at 11.30am and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

• Evie Aspinall, Director, British Foreign Policy Group; and
• Professor Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University.

Questions will include:

• Is President Trump's brand of ‘America First' isolationism unique, or does it reflect a deeper US instinct that may persist beyond his presidency? Can we say that America is departing from the liberal world order?

• How important is the US to the UK when it comes to achieving foreign policy goals? In this asymmetric relationship, what levers does the UK have to influence the US, and on what issues in particular might it be most successful?

• What are the risks for the UK in being closely aligned with the US on foreign policy issues? Are there areas where signalling independence might be beneficial?

• Beyond the immediate conflict in Ukraine, how coherent are UK and US strategies towards Russia in the long term? Do you see alignment around a shared vision — such as containment, managed competition, or selective engagement — or are deeper strategic divergences emerging?

• Russia is attempting to offset its decline in relations with the West by developing closer ties with China, Iran and North Korea. Is there an opportunity for the UK and the US to work together to counter this emerging alliance of countries that are either in competition with or outright hostile towards the West?