John Bew (historian)

Last updated

The Honourable
John Bew
Born
Belfast, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Alma mater Pembroke College, Cambridge (BA, MPhil, PhD)
Employer King's College London
Parents

John Bew is Professor in History and Foreign Policy at King's College London [1] and from 2013 to 2014 held the Henry A. Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the John W. Kluge Center. [2] In October 2024, he became distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and Distinguished Advisor to the Australian National Security College.

Contents

Bew has served in senior positions at the highest levels of the UK government. He spent over five years as the chief Foreign Policy Advisor in No.10 Downing Street, working for four Prime Ministers and through two general elections. He was the penholder on the last two UK national security strategies and intimately involved in the foreign policy challenges of that period, from the creation of AUKUS to the war in Ukraine. [3]

Uniquely, he has worked across the aisle, serving both Conservative and Labour administrations and moving from a political appointee to a civil service role. [3]

In 2021, he also served as the UK’s expert representative to the NATO secretary general’s Reflections Group, which provided recommendations for the alliance’s 2022 Strategic Concept. [4]

In 2019, Bew joined the Number 10 Policy Unit under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, [5] continuing to serve as foreign policy advisor under successive Prime Ministers Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak. In 2023, the New Statesman described Bew as "the great survivor of Downing Street". [6] It has been said that his book on realpolitik helped shared government policy over this time. [7]

As a biographer of Clement Attlee and former writer at the New Statesman, he is widely regarded as a bipartisan rather than party political figure. [8] Former National Security Advisor Lord Ricketts describes his strength as “applying historical expertise to modern policymaking, using the lessons of the past, and using the strategies of previous statesmen to inform the way governments do strategic work now”. According to David Liddington, chair of the Royal United Services Institute, “He’s somebody certainly I think that would feel at home equally working for an Atlanticist, strong, pro-defence Labour ministry, as well as for the Conservative equivalent.” [9]

Following the 2024 general election, he was asked to stay in government by the Keir Starmer administration, working on defence and security issues. [10] He travelled with the new Prime Minister to the NATO Summit in Washington DC, was sent to Ukraine on behalf of the Prime Minister and helped launch the Strategic Defence Review. [11]

Biography

Bew is the son of Paul Bew, Professor of Irish Politics at Queen's University Belfast and his wife Greta Jones, a history professor at the University of Ulster. [12]

Bew completed his education at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he was a Foundation Scholar and a Thornton Scholar and attained a first class BA in History. He won the Member's Prize for the best MPhil in Historical Studies, before completing his doctoral dissertation "Politics, identity and the shaping of Unionism in the north of Ireland, from the French Revolution to the Home Rule Crisis" in 2006. From 2007 to 2010, Bew was Lecturer in Modern British History, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he was previously a Junior Research Fellow.

Bew is a contributing writer for the New Statesman and the author of several books, including Realpolitik: A History (2015) and Castlereagh: Enlightenment, War and Tyranny, published by Quercus in the UK in 2011 and by Oxford University Press in the United States the following year. [13]

Bew's original work on Castlereagh formed the basis for a 2013 BBC Northern Ireland documentary that he presented. [14]

Citizen Clem , [15] published in 2016, was named a "book of the year" in The Times , The Sunday Times , Evening Standard , The Spectator and New Statesman and received excellent reviews in The Guardian , The Observer , Literary Review and London Review of Books . [16] It was also awarded the 2017 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography and the 2017 Orwell Prize. Phillip Collins, for The Times, described it as "The best book in the field of British politics". [17]

In 2015, Bew was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize for Politics and International Relations. He was formerly a specialist advisor to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and head of the London think-tank Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World Project, launched by the UK Secretary of State for Defence in March 2016, and coordinates its work on foreign policy. His most recent book is Realpolitik: A History published in 2016 by Oxford University Press. [18] [19] [20]

Bew is an avid fan of Manchester United FC and used to play non-league football for Milton Rovers FC.

British prime minister Boris Johnson selected Bew to lead an "integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy, [21] which advocated a "tilt" towards focus on the indo-pacific. [22] Bew was also given responsibility for the Integrated Review Refresh which took place under Rishi Sunak and led to an increase in defence spending. closely involved in UK national security decisions for over five years, arguing for nimble alliances such as the AUKUS pact [23] , mobilising the UK’s Nordic and Baltic partnerships such as the Joint Expeditionary Force [24] and pushing for greater technological security in areas like telecommunications. [25] He was closely involved in UK policy on Ukraine including the sending of defensive military equipment to Ukraine. [26] As a native of Northern Ireland, Bew was also intimately involved in the Windsor Framework and the subsequent negotiation process that led to the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions in Northern Ireland. [27]

Bibliography

Monographs

Related Research Articles

Realpolitik is the approach of conducting diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly following ideological, moral, or ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies" or "realistic policies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh</span> British statesman (1769–1822)

Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry,, usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Irish-born British statesman and politician. As secretary to the Viceroy in Ireland, he worked to suppress the Rebellion of 1798 and to secure passage in 1800 of the Irish Act of Union. As the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom from 1812, he was central to the management of the coalition that defeated Napoleon, and was British plenipotentiary at the Congress of Vienna. In the post-war government of Lord Liverpool, Castlereagh was seen to support harsh measures against agitation for reform, and he ended his life an isolated and unpopular figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Healey</span> British politician (born 1960)

John Healey is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Defence since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, previously Wentworth and Wentworth and Dearne, since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Gilligan</span> British journalist and radio presenter (born 1968)

Andrew Paul Gilligan is a British policy adviser and ex-journalist. He served as a special adviser to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, having previously worked as a transport adviser to Boris Johnson both as Mayor of London and as Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Number 10 Policy Unit</span> Body advising the British prime minister

The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers based in 10 Downing Street, providing policy advice directly to the British Prime Minister. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone through a series of guises to suit the needs of successive prime ministers, staffed variously by political advisers, civil servants and more recently a combination of both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Wallace (politician)</span> British politician (born 1970)

Sir Robert Ben Lobban Wallace is a British politician and former British Army Officer who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre and Preston North, formerly Lancaster and Wyre, from 2005 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russia–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Russia–United Kingdom relations, also Anglo-Russian relations, are the bilateral relations between Russia and the United Kingdom. Formal ties between the nations started in 1553. Russia and Britain became allies against Napoleon in the early-19th century. They were enemies in the Crimean War of the 1850s, and rivals in the Great Game for control of central Asia in the latter half of the 19th century. They allied again in World Wars I and II, although the Russian Revolution of 1917 strained relations. The two countries again became enemies during the Cold War (1947–1989). Russia's business tycoons developed strong ties with London financial institutions in the 1990s after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations became very tense after the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Russia. It was subsequently added to Russia's list of "unfriendly countries".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Sheinwald</span> British diplomat (born 1953)

Sir Nigel Elton Sheinwald is a former senior British diplomat, who served as Ambassador to the United States of America between October 2007 and January 2012. He was appointed "Special Envoy on intelligence and law enforcement data sharing" in September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukraine–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom have existed in one form or another since Ukrainian independence in 1991. The two countries have ties across political, military, social and economic spheres. The UK hosts up to 200,000 Ukrainian refugees giving it the sixth largest Ukrainian migrant population in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Frost, Baron Frost</span> British diplomat, politician and life peer

David George Hamilton Frost, Baron Frost is a former British diplomat, civil servant and politician who served as a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office between March and December 2021. Frost was Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe from January 2020 until his resignation in December 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Sedwill</span> British diplomat and civil servant (born 1964)

Mark Philip Sedwill, Baron Sedwill, is a British diplomat and senior civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service to Prime Ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson from 2018 to 2020. He also served as the United Kingdom National Security Adviser from 2017 to 2020. He was previously the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010 and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan in 2010. He was the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from February 2013 to April 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Security Council (United Kingdom)</span> British government Cabinet committee

The National Security Council is a United Kingdom cabinet committee. The Council's terms of reference were said in September 2022 to include matters relating to national security, foreign policy, defence, trade, international relations, development, resilience and resource security. As of 2024, the meetings are held weekly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of War Studies, King's College London</span> Academic department at Kings College London

The Department of War Studies (DWS) is an academic department in the School of Security Studies within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King's College London in London, United Kingdom. Along with other politics and international studies units at King's College London, it ranks amongst the top places for international relations in the world. For international relations in the UK, which is taught within the War Studies Department and the Department of European & International Studies, King's ranks second nationally. The department is devoted to the multi-disciplinary study of war and diplomacy within the broad remit of international relations. It remains one of the only academic departments in the world that can be described as such.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Forsyth (political aide)</span> Political Aide

James Forsyth is a British political aide and former political journalist. After serving as political editor of The Spectator magazine since 2009, he was Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, from 2022 until July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rishi Sunak</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024

Rishi Sunak is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024. He was Leader of the Conservative Party from October 2022 to November 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in the 2024 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition, serving in this role from July to November 2024. The first British Asian to hold those offices, he previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond and Northallerton, previously Richmond (Yorks), since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Tugendhat</span> British politician (born 1973)

Thomas Georg John Tugendhat is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tonbridge, previously Tonbridge and Malling, since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Shadow Minister for Security since 2024. He previously served in the Cabinet as Minister of State for Security from September 2022 to July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Dowden</span> British politician (born 1978)

Sir Oliver James Dowden, is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously held various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2018 and 2024. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere since 2015.

The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, often known as the Integrated Review, and titled as Global Britain in a Competitive Age, was a review carried out by the British government led by Boris Johnson into the foreign, defence, security and international development policies of the United Kingdom. Described by Johnson as "the largest review of its kind since the Cold War", the review was published on 16 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th European Political Community Summit</span> European Political Community Summit

The Fourth European Political Community Summit was a meeting of the European Political Community held on 18 July 2024 at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, United Kingdom.

The Strategic Defence Review is an upcoming review of the United Kingdom's defence policy. It is the first such review carried out by a Labour government since 2003. The review will be led by former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, with oversight from Defence Secretary John Healey. It was announced on 16 July 2024 by the newly incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer and is set to be published in the first half of 2025.

References

  1. ↑ "Professor John Bew". King's College London . Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  2. ↑ "John Bew". John W. Kluge Center . Library of Congress.
  3. 1 2 "Distinguished Visiting Fellow: John Bew". Hoover Institution. Hoover Institution.
  4. ↑ ""NATO 2030. United for a new era": a Digest". NATO Defense College. NATO Defense College.
  5. ↑ "Bagehot - The Downing Street Policy Unit, Boris Johnson's brain | Britain". The Economist. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "The New Statesman's right power list". The New Statesman. 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Realpolitik: the book behind Boris Johnson's vision for 'Global Britain'". The Guardian. 12 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "The man who knows what 'Global Britain' means". Politico. 14 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "The John Bew profile: 'I'm not even sure that he is a Conservative'". PoliticsHome. Merit Group. 19 March 2024.
  10. ↑ "London Playbook: Starmer, smokes and snake oil". Politico. 29 August 2024.
  11. ↑ Shipman, Tim (18 August 2024). "Ukraine is invading with British tanks. What does it mean for us?". The Sunday Times.
  12. ↑ Richards, Huw (9 March 2004). "Paul Bew: Belfast's history man". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Professor John Bew". Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "BBC Two - Groundbreakers, Series 1, The Extraordinary Life of Castlereagh". BBC. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Kampfner, John (4 September 2016). "Citizen Clem by John Bew review – exemplary biography". The Observer . Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  16. ↑ John Bew - Citizen Clem - Quercus.
  17. ↑ "Citizen Clem". Guardian Bookshop. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  18. ↑ Bew,John. Realpolitik: A History (2016). Oxford University Press.
  19. ↑ Kelly, Duncan (12 February 2016). "'Realpolitik: A History', by John Bew". Financial Times . Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  20. ↑ Ledger, Robert (16 March 2016). "Book Review: Realpolitik: A History by John Bew". London School of Economics and Political Science . Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Charlie (14 January 2021). "The man who knows what 'Global Britain' means". Politico. London. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  22. ↑ Statesman, New (27 September 2023). "The New Statesman's right power list". New Statesman. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  23. ↑ "'Like a scene from le Carré': how the nuclear submarine pact was No 10's biggest secret". The Times. 18 September 2021.
  24. ↑ "Britain defended Israel — but Rishi Sunak now has war on three fronts". The Sunday Times. 20 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "Boris Johnson 'changes his mind' over Huawei mobile deal". The Sunday Times. 31 May 2020.
  26. ↑ "How Ben Wallace fought 'securocrats' to donate UK's tank-busting weapons to Ukraine". The Sunday Times. 13 March 2022.
  27. ↑ "Optimism grows in Belfast and Brussels". The Times. 17 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.