Beyond Brexit in a World of Interdependence

Abstract

The bounds that interdependence places on the UK are not the result of democratic choice. They are the unintended consequence of decisions taken by generations of Britain’s governors as they adapted to changes in the world since Queen Victoria’s time. By taking back powers it had ceded to the European Union, the British Parliament can claim it has regained sovereignty in the Victorian sense of the term. But the government’s experience in negotiating Brexit illustrates that constraints of interdependence have hollowed out the meaning of national sovereignty. Moreover, the British government faces fresh constraints as it seeks to build new ties to replace those with Europe that are reduced by Brexit.