1968: the end of a Great Power? Some remarks on the British withdrawal west of Suez

Journal title SOCIETÀ E STORIA
Author/s Lucio Valent
Publishing Year 2020 Issue 2020/167
Language Italian Pages 32 P. 63-94 File size 119 KB
DOI 10.3280/SS2020-167003
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Il presente articolo intende analizzare le vicende che portarono al ritiro delle Forze Armate inglesi dalle basi e dagli impegni strategici a Est di Suez, inserendo la riflessione entro il più ampio arco temporale che va dalla fine della Seconda Guerra mondiale alla metà degli anni settanta. Siccome l’evento marcò una rottura netta rispetto al passato imperiale britannico, è quanto mai necessario vederne la genesi entro il più esteso panorama rappresentato dalla strategia e dal pensiero geopolitico britannico del tempo. Ciò che mi propongo di offrire è una analisi della decisione adottata dal governo di Wilson, inserendola entro il quadro dei rapporti interni al partito laburista, di quelli tra mondo politico e le Forze Armate, nonché entro la strategia e la geopolitica che i politici laburisti ritenevano il paese dovesse adottare in un contesto internazionale cambiato rispetto al recente e al lontano passato. A questo proposito mi avvarrò della documentazione conservata negli Archivi di Stato britannici, dalla quale emerge che, oltre alle oggettive difficoltà economiche nelle quali versava il Regno Unito, un ruolo centrale nella decisione adottata dal governo laburista l’ebbero gli errori commessi dal Segretario alla Difesa Denis Healey. Tali errori resero il ritiro irreversibile, quando gli intendimenti del governo erano di segno parzialmente diverso, volendo l’esecutivo laburista, agli inizi della sua esperienza di governo, confermare il ruolo internazionale che la presenza delle forze armate britanniche a Est di Suez assicurava.

Keywords: Governo Wilson, Est di Suez, portaerei, forze armate britanniche, geopolitica britannica, 1968.

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Lucio Valent, 1968: la fine di una Grande Potenza? Alcune considerazioni sul ritiro britannico da Est di Suez in "SOCIETÀ E STORIA " 167/2020, pp 63-94, DOI: 10.3280/SS2020-167003