Britain occupies a structurally exposed position: strong domestic institutions and durable global reach instruments coexist with an active loss of the alliance convertibility that historically amplified both. The decision to authorize US basing for Iran strikes locked London into co-belligerency status while the simultaneous public rupture with Washington eliminated the expected payoff of compliance, leaving the UK bearing escalation risk without commensurate influence over the campaign it is enabling. The Nigeria realignment offers a partial offset on the reach dimension, but it cannot substitute for the collapsing Washington interlocutor role that has been Britain's primary external force multiplier since 1945.
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