What the UK’s ‘Nato-first’ defence approach tells us about Britain’s place in a volatile world

Since the end of the cold war, the relevance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) has regularly been questioned, even by its most prominent leaders. Its members, therefore, find it necessary to remind each other and the world of its value from time to time.

The latest example of this is the UK government’s new strategic defence review, which announces a “Nato-first” posture.

Nato has long been a cornerstone of UK foreign, defence and security policies. But this marks...