The Norms Behind Britain’s 2021 Naval Diplomacy to the Indo-Pacific

This article explores the motivations behind the United Kingdom’s ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’, specifically focusing on the 2021 deployment of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. Utilizing a constructivist framework, the article argues that British foreign policy is driven by three evolving post-Brexit norms rather than simple state survival: a growing skepticism of Chinese maritime assertiveness, the economic necessity of protecting trade routes, and the ‘Global Britain’ strategy which seeks to revitalise the UK’s geopolitical influence outside of the European Union. At present, the great power…