{"id":50717,"date":"2026-01-05T12:01:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=50717"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:01:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:01:47","slug":"tom-stevenson-someone-elses-empire-british-illusions-and-american-hegemony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=50717","title":{"rendered":"Tom Stevenson, \u201eSomeone Else&#8217;s Empire: British Illusions and American Hegemony\u201c"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The destructive delusions of \u2018Global Britain\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>SOMEONE ELSE\u2019S EMPIRE<\/em> dispels the myth of a \u2018Global Britain\u2019 that punches above its weight in the world. The reality, argues Tom Stevenson, is that Britain lacks even the barest outline of an independent foreign policy. The impetus for so many policy decisions, from Iraq to AUKUS, comes from a supine desire to maintain lieutenant rank in the Washington hierarchy, whatever the consequences.<br><br>Nostalgia for global influence has produced a compulsive Atlanticism and a reflexive resort to military actions that the UK is near incapable of actually performing. The net effect of Brexit has been an increase in vassalage. Yet for what must ultimately be psychological reasons, British leaders and national security clerks have tended to dislike seeing Britain framed by American power. <em>Someone Else\u2019s Empire<\/em> looks at the infrastructure of a US world order re-energised by Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and fits the UK into the picture without the usual euphemisms. It is one thing to station military forces around the world to maintain your empire, but quite another to do so for someone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A fascinating read about Britain\u2019s dreams of empire and embarrassing deference to Washington<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This lacerating book lays bare everything from the sanguinary politics of the British defence establishment to the management of venal political proxies in the Middle East.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Laleh Khalili, author of Sinews of War and Trade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stevenson writes vividly of the United States\u2019 relentless pursuit of international predominance and Britain\u2019s role as its loyal adjutant. An insight-laden exploration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Rajan Menon, author of The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Welcome &#8230; evocative &#8230; Reproduces a style of reportage, highly literary yet historically informed, that harkens back to a bygone era of journalism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>John-Baptiste Oduor,&nbsp; Jacobin<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One of the London Review of Books\u2019 great essayists &#8230; compelling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Richard G. Whitman,&nbsp; International Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>272 pages \/ November 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-link is-provider-ugradnja wp-block-embed-ugradnja\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.versobooks.com\/products\/2978-someone-else-s-empire\">Someone Else&#039;s Empire<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knjige","category-novosti"],"acf":{"facebook_opis":""},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stevenson.webp?fit=358%2C650&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54174,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54174","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":0},"title":"Yanni Kotsonis, &#8220;The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism&#8221;","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"18. lipnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"A sweeping global history of the birth of modern Greece In 1821, a diverse territory in the southern Balkans on the fringe of the Ottoman Empire was thrust into a decade of astounding mass violence. The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism traces how something new emerged from\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kotsonis.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":53627,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=53627","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":1},"title":"Gostuju\u0107e predavanje: Niels Gaul o Bizantskom Carstvu u doba Konstantina Porfirogeneta","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"22. svibnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Pro\u0161la je godina protekla u znaku velike 1100. obljetnice doba kralja Tomislava i po\u010detaka Hrvatskog Kraljevstva. Klju\u010dno svjedo\u010danstvo o Tomislavovom dobu, pa i op\u0107enito o najstarijoj hrvatskoj povijesti, ostavio je bizantski car Konstantin VII. Porfirogenet pi\u0161u\u0107i u svojem djelu O upravljanju carstvom o podlo\u017eenim i susjednim narodima Bizantskog Carstva. No\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Gostujuce-predavanje.png?fit=932%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Gostujuce-predavanje.png?fit=932%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Gostujuce-predavanje.png?fit=932%2C490&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Gostujuce-predavanje.png?fit=932%2C490&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52679,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52679","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":2},"title":"CfP: CHOSEN NATION(S): HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS OF EXCEPTIONALISM, BUDAPEST, 10TH\u201311TH JUNE 2026 (DEADLINE: 1ST MAY 2026)","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"27. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ludovika University of Public Service (NKE) and the Jewish Theological Seminary \u2013 University of Jewish Studies (OR-ZSE) are pleased to announce a joint academic conference on \u201cChosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism\u201d, to be held in Budapest, Hungary. Chosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism Keynote\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54767,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54767","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":3},"title":"Philipp Ther: The Sound of Habsburg \/ Der Klang der Monarchie. A Musical History of the Austro-Hungarian Empire","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"23. srpnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"A fascinating history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire told through the prism of the music it created and was shaped by From the late 18th century onwards, the Habsburg Monarchy was on the decline internationally, and internally was riven by conflict. But time and again, the Habsburgs rallied together, survived the\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-sound-of-habsburg.webp?fit=400%2C635&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":53155,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=53155","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":4},"title":"25. Me\u0111unarodni kongres bizantskih studija (Be\u010d, 24\u201329. kolovoza 2026) \u2013 Tema: &#8220;Byzantium beyond Byzantium&#8221;","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"14. svibnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The International Congress of Byzantine Studies is the world\u2019s largest academic event dedicated to the latest research and findings on the Byzantine Empire, its history, and culture. Since the first congress in 1924 in Bucharest, it has been held approximately every five years in different locations, attracting up to 1,500\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25.-Medunarodni-kongres-bizantskih-studija-.webp?fit=1164%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25.-Medunarodni-kongres-bizantskih-studija-.webp?fit=1164%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25.-Medunarodni-kongres-bizantskih-studija-.webp?fit=1164%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25.-Medunarodni-kongres-bizantskih-studija-.webp?fit=1164%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25.-Medunarodni-kongres-bizantskih-studija-.webp?fit=1164%2C431&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55111,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=55111","url_meta":{"origin":50717,"position":5},"title":"Anthony Kaldellis, \u201eThe New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium\u201c","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"26. kolovoza 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"A major new history of the eastern Roman Empire, from Constantine to 1453.In recent decades, the study of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, has been revolutionized by new approaches and more sophisticated models for how its society and state operated. No longer looked upon as a pale\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-New-Roman-Empire.webp?fit=362%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50719,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717\/revisions\/50719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}