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For years, the UK has played a significant role in a disturbing and destructive global cycle—one in which arms are sold to conflict zones, military interventions follow, civilians are killed, refugees are displaced, and the blowback radicalises a new generation.
I wrote about it, almost 10 years ago.
But then, this isn’t just a one-off tragedy.
It’s a pattern.
And it’s happening again, right now.
In a sense, I have been discussing the cycle since I began Vox Political. Over multiple administrations, little has changed.
From the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition of David Cameron and Nick Clegg, through Theresa May and Boris Johnson, to Rishi Sunak—and now under Keir Starmer’s Labour—the fundamental direction of UK defence and foreign policy has remained consistent.
We are trapped in a loop of militarism, arms profiteering, and foreign entanglements that generate more chaos than they resolve.
Just click on the image, make your donation,
and provide your details!
The cycle of destruction
The UK’s foreign policy behaviour often follows a predictable cycle:
-
UK manufacturers supply weapons to regimes or groups with questionable human rights records. For instance, since 2015, over £23 billion of UK arms have gone to Saudi Arabia for use against Yemen. See: Declassified UK+2Views & Voices+2Amnesty International+2
-
Those extremists or regimes use the weapons to attack western targets or destabilise regions.
-
In response, the UK joins international coalitions to bomb or otherwise militarily intervene.
-
These interventions cause civilian deaths and widespread devastation. In Yemen, nearly 15,000 civilians have been killed by direct military action, most of them in air strikes by the Saudi-led Coalition. See: caat.org.uk
-
This destruction fuels anger and grief among survivors, some of whom become radicalised.
-
Radicalised individuals join extremist groups—and the cycle begins again.
This cycle has been seen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and is now increasingly echoed in policy responses to Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.
The UK’s role in fuelling violence, then reacting militarily to the consequences of that violence, cannot be brushed aside as mere coincidence.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Refugees and the politics of blame
One of the cruellest ironies is the creation of refugees by these wars—many of whom seek asylum in the UK, only to face demonisation by the very politicians whose decisions helped displace them.
The same governments that helped ignite these conflicts are those implementing “hostile environment” policies, cutting support services, and feeding anti-immigrant rhetoric to distract from their own failures.
The Hostile Environment deters people from accessing essential services for fear of being reported, detained, or deported. See: jcwi.org.uk
We sell the weapons, we bomb the victims, we demonise the survivors.
And then we repeat it.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
Ukraine and Gaza: new conflicts, old patterns
In Ukraine, the UK has poured arms and military aid into a war that, while launched by Russian aggression, has escalated with western encouragement of militarised resistance over negotiated settlement.
The UK has committed £18 billion for Ukraine, including £13 billion in military support. As with previous conflicts, arms manufacturers reap profits, and displaced people suffer. See: GOV.UK
In Gaza, UK-made weapons and surveillance technologies have been linked to Israeli operations resulting in widespread civilian deaths.
The UK government continues to back Israel unconditionally while cracking down on pro-Palestinian voices at home. This too creates a feedback loop of resentment and radicalisation.
The UK has suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel, acknowledging the risk that these weapons could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. See: UCL+1POLITICO+1
Governments change – policies don’t
The most damning truth is that this isn’t a matter of party politics.
The UK’s foreign and defence policy has not shifted with elections.
From the Conservatives to Labour under Keir Starmer, the core commitments remain: loyalty to NATO and the US, a thriving arms export industry, and interventionism justified by vague notions of “global stability.”
Labour’s first 100 days in foreign policy showed a commitment to military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, indicating continuity rather than change. See: UK in a Changing Europe
Starmer’s Labour is not breaking from the Tory legacy—it is continuing it.
Despite rhetoric about ethical foreign policy, Labour has backed UK arms sales, NATO expansion, and military spending increases.
On Israel/Gaza, the party has shown little willingness to challenge Israeli actions or defend the rights of Palestinians.
This continuity reveals a deeper problem: the illusion of choice in UK defence policy.
Elections bring new faces, not new strategies.
The war machine turns regardless.
Just click on the image, make your donation,
and provide your details!
Where do we go from here?
If we want real change, we need to look beyond party labels and examine the structures that keep this cycle in motion: the arms industry lobbying government; the revolving door between defence contractors and policymakers; the silence of mainstream media; the political cost of questioning militarism.
Ending the cycle means demanding transparency, accountability, and a shift from war-making to peace-building.
Until then, the UK will remain caught in the cycle it helped create—exporting violence abroad and importing the consequences at home.
Share this post:
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And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Governments change – policies don’t: the illusion of choice in UK defence
Share this post:
For years, the UK has played a significant role in a disturbing and destructive global cycle—one in which arms are sold to conflict zones, military interventions follow, civilians are killed, refugees are displaced, and the blowback radicalises a new generation.
I wrote about it, almost 10 years ago.
But then, this isn’t just a one-off tragedy.
It’s a pattern.
And it’s happening again, right now.
In a sense, I have been discussing the cycle since I began Vox Political. Over multiple administrations, little has changed.
From the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition of David Cameron and Nick Clegg, through Theresa May and Boris Johnson, to Rishi Sunak—and now under Keir Starmer’s Labour—the fundamental direction of UK defence and foreign policy has remained consistent.
We are trapped in a loop of militarism, arms profiteering, and foreign entanglements that generate more chaos than they resolve.
Just click on the image, make your donation,
and provide your details!
The cycle of destruction
The UK’s foreign policy behaviour often follows a predictable cycle:
UK manufacturers supply weapons to regimes or groups with questionable human rights records. For instance, since 2015, over £23 billion of UK arms have gone to Saudi Arabia for use against Yemen. See: Declassified UK+2Views & Voices+2Amnesty International+2
Those extremists or regimes use the weapons to attack western targets or destabilise regions.
In response, the UK joins international coalitions to bomb or otherwise militarily intervene.
These interventions cause civilian deaths and widespread devastation. In Yemen, nearly 15,000 civilians have been killed by direct military action, most of them in air strikes by the Saudi-led Coalition. See: caat.org.uk
This destruction fuels anger and grief among survivors, some of whom become radicalised.
Radicalised individuals join extremist groups—and the cycle begins again.
This cycle has been seen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and is now increasingly echoed in policy responses to Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.
The UK’s role in fuelling violence, then reacting militarily to the consequences of that violence, cannot be brushed aside as mere coincidence.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Refugees and the politics of blame
One of the cruellest ironies is the creation of refugees by these wars—many of whom seek asylum in the UK, only to face demonisation by the very politicians whose decisions helped displace them.
The same governments that helped ignite these conflicts are those implementing “hostile environment” policies, cutting support services, and feeding anti-immigrant rhetoric to distract from their own failures.
The Hostile Environment deters people from accessing essential services for fear of being reported, detained, or deported. See: jcwi.org.uk
We sell the weapons, we bomb the victims, we demonise the survivors.
And then we repeat it.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
Ukraine and Gaza: new conflicts, old patterns
In Ukraine, the UK has poured arms and military aid into a war that, while launched by Russian aggression, has escalated with western encouragement of militarised resistance over negotiated settlement.
The UK has committed £18 billion for Ukraine, including £13 billion in military support. As with previous conflicts, arms manufacturers reap profits, and displaced people suffer. See: GOV.UK
In Gaza, UK-made weapons and surveillance technologies have been linked to Israeli operations resulting in widespread civilian deaths.
The UK government continues to back Israel unconditionally while cracking down on pro-Palestinian voices at home. This too creates a feedback loop of resentment and radicalisation.
The UK has suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel, acknowledging the risk that these weapons could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. See: UCL+1POLITICO+1
Governments change – policies don’t
The most damning truth is that this isn’t a matter of party politics.
The UK’s foreign and defence policy has not shifted with elections.
From the Conservatives to Labour under Keir Starmer, the core commitments remain: loyalty to NATO and the US, a thriving arms export industry, and interventionism justified by vague notions of “global stability.”
Labour’s first 100 days in foreign policy showed a commitment to military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, indicating continuity rather than change. See: UK in a Changing Europe
Starmer’s Labour is not breaking from the Tory legacy—it is continuing it.
Despite rhetoric about ethical foreign policy, Labour has backed UK arms sales, NATO expansion, and military spending increases.
On Israel/Gaza, the party has shown little willingness to challenge Israeli actions or defend the rights of Palestinians.
This continuity reveals a deeper problem: the illusion of choice in UK defence policy.
Elections bring new faces, not new strategies.
The war machine turns regardless.
Just click on the image, make your donation,
and provide your details!
Where do we go from here?
If we want real change, we need to look beyond party labels and examine the structures that keep this cycle in motion: the arms industry lobbying government; the revolving door between defence contractors and policymakers; the silence of mainstream media; the political cost of questioning militarism.
Ending the cycle means demanding transparency, accountability, and a shift from war-making to peace-building.
Until then, the UK will remain caught in the cycle it helped create—exporting violence abroad and importing the consequences at home.
Share this post:
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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