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Queen Elizabeth's death marks turning point for the UK
Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Chelm, in Eastern Poland.
The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, is of course, a major, major event for the United Kingdom and for the world. She was really the last remaining link with an imperial past, with a turbulent and dramatic period for her country, and she gave it stability during a very long period of fundamental change. It will be another country as it enters the reign of King Charles III.
Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch in UK history and virtually in world history, is no longer with us. Queen Elizabeth has reigned under 15 prime ministers, starting with Churchill. And in this time, the United Kingdom went from global power and industrial powerhouse to a post-European middle power. She's lived through and reigned through the legacy of colonialism, the end of British Empire, and now of course the end of the UK in Europe. The death of the Queen and her succession will dominate the news, certainly across the UK and the Commonwealth for some time. It's going to overshadow the arrival of Liz Truss as prime minister and all of her major economic announcements.
There's a lot to say here. Queen Elizabeth has long been seen as the single most popular figure in Britain, and her death will undoubtedly be received with enormous sadness by a public that's been battered by two years of COVID crisis, on top of shambolic Brexit process, massive domestic political scandals, independence movements, particularly in Scotland. And on top of that, now an enormous cost of living crisis that's worse than any other G7 economy. So, it's not hit the UK at an opportune time at all. And the impact of her death really on the public mood should not be underestimated, given that the Queen has long been seen as a beacon of stability in the United Kingdom in an uncertain and very volatile world.
The prime minister and the leader of the opposition were told of the news of the Queen's failing health during exchanges in the Commons on this energy package that they're passing to try to take some of the weight of massive inflation off of the British public. And when the news spread, Westminster became unusually somber, with MPs talking of nothing else and speculating on the implications of her death. And I would say that the monarchy has remained popular in the UK largely because of the Queen and the extraordinary way that she has performed her duties.
Under the British Constitution, the Queen is Head of State, but without any critical role in government other than formally appointing her prime minister, which she had just done, and accepting their resignation, which she also just done, also giving her assent to pieces of legislation. But through the Privy Council, the monarch is kept informed of all government activities, but does not in any way influence them. So it's really a titular and a symbolic rule.
But as Head of State over 70 years, from Churchill now to Truss having served under her, Queen Elizabeth has remained utterly impartial. And I say that in particular because Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth's son and heir to the throne, has been far less cautious about allowing his opinions to reach the public's ear. And if the monarchy is to continue to succeed in the UK, he'll certainly need to exercise significantly greater restraint.
Affection for the Queen has been a critical factor in keeping the Commonwealth together and holding off calls in many countries for complete independence. And indeed, I would expect that Republican movements in countries with constitutional parliamentary monarchies will likely now grow. For example, in Australia, Republicanism is the official stance of the Labor Party. We'll see a lot more of that, I think, across the Commonwealth.
It's an odd thing for an American, this idea that you have a king or a queen with hereditary rule, however symbolic it is. And yes, it's certainly true that a lot of Brits complain about the lavish living of the royals and the scandals. But we should also be clear that the Queen and the monarchy are huge tourist attractions in Britain, and it's impossible to quantify the revenue that they've brought in from tourism. It certainly will have paid for much, if not well over, the cost of maintaining the monarchy.
But finally, Queen Elizabeth is loved across the world in an extraordinary and singular way. And in that regard, I just want to close by saying that we'll miss her.
The end of an era: Queen Elizabeth II dies
There’s been an outpouring of grief across the UK – and the globe – after Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at her estate in the Scottish Highlands at the age of 96.
BBC news presenters donned black suits even before her death was announced, while dignitaries and politicians prepared by purchasing black ties and armbands.
The Queen, who recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years on the throne, was last seen in public earlier this week when she met with Britain's new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence.
Elizabeth Windsor was never supposed to be Queen. Her uncle, Edward VIII, ascended to the throne in 1936 but soon abdicated so he could marry a divorced American socialite, going against the government and the Church of England to do so. Elizabeth’s father, George VI, replaced his older brother, making a young Elizabeth Windsor the new heir apparent.
When Elizabeth assumed the throne in 1952 at age 25, the world was a very different place. President Harry Truman occupied the White House and dictator Joseph Stalin was still at the helm of the Soviet Union. At home, Winston Churchill was serving his second stint at No. 10 Downing Street, and it was with this statesman that Queen Elizabeth II established a tradition of weekly audiences with the British prime minister. She worked with a total of 15 prime ministers during her 70-year reign.
For better or worse, the monarch’s role in Britain has always been strictly apolitical, and Queen Elizabeth II was long lauded for remaining above the fray of petty party politics and for not inserting herself in messy global affairs. Nonetheless, she saw a lot during her seven decades at the helm, and her official royal visits around the globe were laden with symbolism.
History in the making. During her first overseas visit as queen in 1953, Elizabeth II embarked on a months-long Commonwealth tour accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She made stops in Jamaica and Fiji – which did not gain independence from the UK until 1962 and 1970, respectively – and visited Bermuda, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, and Gibraltar, being met by adoring spectators along the way. For some royal detractors, however, these visits, laced with pomp and circumstance, were emblematic of the way the Royal Family long benefited from British colonialism.
In the mid-1960s, Queen Elizabeth, by then a mother of four, visited West Germany, marking the first visit of a British monarch to Germany in half a century. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the end of World War II, her visit became a symbol of European reconciliation after the two countries found themselves on opposite sides of a bloody war that forever changed the continent.
Indeed, the former monarch made a series of other historic trips during her reign. In 1986, Queen Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit mainland China, where she expressed hopes for a resolution over Hong Kong’s status (two years earlier, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agreed to return sovereignty over Hong Kong to China in 1997) and for stronger trade ties between London and Beijing. Her trip came during interesting times for China, then led by Deng Xiaoping. Student-led protests against corruption that year lit the match that would culminate in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
In 2011, Queen Elizabeth became the first monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland (King George V visited in 1911 when the country was still part of the UK). This came just over a decade after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, with the trauma of the Troubles still rife. Her visit was hailed as a watershed moment, though relations remain fraught to this day, as demonstrated by messy post-Brexit negotiations.
A tumultuous present. The Queen’s oldest child, Charles, has become the new monarch. It's unclear when the official coronation ceremony, a religious pageant performed by the most senior cleric in the Church of England, will take place for King Charles III.
A lavish ceremony at this time would perhaps reflect poorly on the new king, who does not hold the same treasured place in the collective British psyche as his mostly beloved mother. (The Queen’s coronation ceremony cost the equivalent of 46 million pounds. Charles reportedly wants a more laid-back affair, but it would still be costly.)
The UK is mired in its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, in large part because of soaring energy and rent prices. The Bank of England recently warned that the UK will likely face its longest recession since the global financial crisis in 2007, and inflation is slated to hit a staggering 18.6% early next year. Sky-high energy costs and post-Brexit shortages have fueled inflation rates that top those in the EU and the US, with the British poor and middle class being hit particularly hard.
The national mood in Britain is extremely grim. The death of a longtime national figurehead is yet another blow for a crisis-ridden country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
What We're Watching: Zelensky's plea on Odesa blockade, South Korea's new president, Prince Charles fills in
Zelensky ties Odesa’s fate to global food crisis
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged the world to help break a Russian blockade on the Black Sea port of Odesa, which he said is contributing to a global food crisis. He has a point: the war has all but eliminated Ukraine’s massive exports of wheat and cooking oils, most of which leave through Odesa. At the same time, Western sanctions and local export restrictions have decreased Russia’s own sizable exports of grain, oils, and fertilizers. All of this has driven global food prices to record highs, stoking political unrest in places like Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while also threatening to push as many as 44 million more people into famine around the globe this year. Zelensky’s appeal came as Russia intensified its aerial attacks on Odesa. If Russia is able to take the strategic port, the way would be clear for it to continue westward to the Moldovan border, landlocking Ukraine entirely.
South Korea’s tough new foreign policy
Yoon Suk Yeol, who became South Korea’s president on Tuesday, has a lot on his plate and is facing two major obstacles: the lowest-ever initial approval rating (51.4%) of any incoming South Korean president and a center-left opposition that holds a majority in the National Assembly. For both reasons, the conservative leader will face pushback on a domestic agenda centered on tax cuts and regulation rollbacks, but his get-tough foreign policy will likely make headlines. Yoon makes no secret of his desire to strengthen relations with Washington, and when Joe Biden visits Seoul later this month, the two leaders will likely spend most of their time discussing North Korea and China. The new president has called for larger and more frequent joint military exercises that will anger both Beijing and Pyongyang. With North Korea preparing more missile tests, Yoon also wants more sophisticated American weapons deployed in his country, maybe including another Thermal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the hyper-controversial “hitting a bullet with a bullet” missile defense system that created a crisis in relations with China five years ago.