'There is only so much you can do from the outside': EU–UK intelligence-sharing through Brexit and the war in Ukraine.
The European Union's framework for foreign intelligence, and the United Kingdom's role in it, have recently undergone two quick transformations: firstly, Brexit deprived the EU of a key player and the UK of a seat at key decision-making tables, and secondly, Russia's invasion of Ukraine compelled bo...
| Publicado en: | International Affairs Vol. 102; no. 4; pp. 1203 - 1222 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jul2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=195222506&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 195222506 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00205850 INA jtl: International Affairs issn: 00205850 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 102 iid: 4 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 195222506 10.1093/ia/iiag047 ppf: 1203 ppct: 19 formats: tig: atl: 'There is only so much you can do from the outside': EU–UK intelligence-sharing through Brexit and the war in Ukraine. aug: au: Frigo, Lucia affil: Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Royal Holloway University of London, 1 Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX su: Ukraine Russia United Kingdom European Union International security Intelligence sharing British withdrawal from the European Union, 2016-2020 Communication network analysis Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022- Security management sug: subj: International security Ukraine Russia United Kingdom European Union Intelligence sharing British withdrawal from the European Union, 2016-2020 Communication network analysis Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022- Security management keyword: Brexit Common Foreign Security Policy copyrightHolder:The Royal Institute of International Affairs copyrightYear:2026 inLanguage:en intelligence-sharing network analysis publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiag047 Brexit Common Foreign Security Policy copyrightHolder:The Royal Institute of International Affairs copyrightYear:2026 inLanguage:en intelligence-sharing network analysis publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiag047 ab: The European Union's framework for foreign intelligence, and the United Kingdom's role in it, have recently undergone two quick transformations: firstly, Brexit deprived the EU of a key player and the UK of a seat at key decision-making tables, and secondly, Russia's invasion of Ukraine compelled both sides to rethink their intelligence relationship and to renew external security cooperation. This article investigates the recent EU–UK intelligence relationship, asking two questions: How has the UK's role in the EU's foreign intelligence framework changed since Brexit? And what does this mean for the continent's security? Adopting a novel qualitative network analysis approach, I conducted a longitudinal study of the UK's role in the EU intelligence framework in three phases: pre-Brexit, post-Brexit and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through semi-structured interviews with experts from the UK, the EU and its member states, I find that the EU–UK intelligence relationship still presents significant gaps even after Russia's war in Ukraine prompted intelligence-sharing to resume. Although the EU intelligence network's informal channels grant some resistance to changes, I demonstrate that the UK's new position is one of significantly curtailed network power. This, in turn, limits its ability to influence EU security decision-making, reducing its agency in the European security sphere. Theoretically and methodologically, this novel application of network analysis provides explanatory power for investigating relational dynamics in intelligence-sharing, especially during times of change. Conceptually, this article sheds light on the ability of the EU's intelligence network to transform and adapt, and on the relationships connecting it to the UK. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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