The Atlantic Council hosted Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly for a new edition of AC Front Page on May 9, 2023.

“We are now in a period of heightened risk and volatility that is likely to last beyond the 2030s,” reads the United Kingdom’s refreshed Integrated Review, released in March 2023 as an update to the strategy document from 2021. “In that time, the transition into a multipolar, fragmented and contested world has happened more quickly and definitively than anticipated.”

As reflected in the 2023 Integrated Review, the United Kingdom, like its partners and allies, faces a profound and wide-ranging series of challenges. Russia’s ongoing and full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reshaped Europe’s security architecture, and an increasingly adversarial China has sparked a rethink of the linkages between security, defense, economic, industrial, and trade policies. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is responsible for delivering on the United Kingdom’s vision for its role in the world during this critical moment. Against this backdrop, Cleverly joined the Atlantic Council during his visit to the United States to share his perspective on these challenges and opportunities and Britain’s role in the world.