Stratfor: Security Implications of Brexit

Much of the concern and discussions on Brexit centers around politics and trade, but security is another priority, maintains Julian Lindley-French. European security depends on close cooperation, especially on intelligence-gathering. “Britain's security, and by extension that of Europe, will be profoundly weakened if the former is not also fully plugged into the latter,” Lindley-French writes. “Being an island is not what it used to be.” He maintains that the EU has mechanisms for exit and that Britain was not the union’s most enthusiastic member, often blocking integration efforts. Still, the EU and its one-time member can still cooperate. Lindley recommends a form of associate membership by which Britain is exempt from jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, has access to the Single Market and can develop security arrangements under which British forces operate under EU mandate. He presents various scenarios for how Brexit could strengthen or weaken NATO, and concludes by noting that post-Brexit security cooperation is as essential as economic cooperation and that Britain won’t provide one without the other. – YaleGlobal