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As Britain prepares to host the leaders of the richest democracies in the world at the G7 summit, Nick Robinson begins a week-long series  exploring Britain’s place in the world.

Over five programmes, Nick considers our hard, soft and economic power, our influence and alliances, whether we are we just a Small Island or whether we can be, in Boris Johnson’s phrase, Global Britain?  

2. Rule the Waves?

From the flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, and in the aftermath of the Government’s overhaul of defence in March’s Integrated Review, Nick asks if Britain is now a ‘pocket superpower’. Does HMS Queen Elizabeth, soon to embark for the South China Sea, embody a commitment to symbolism, as opposed to a practical ability, or willingness to engage on the international stage?

Joined by the current Chief of the Defence Staff, a former Foreign Secretary and a former Director of the CIA, Nick looks at what threats Britain faces and asks whether shrinking of the army in the Integrated Review is the nail in the coffin for Britain’s ability to operate alone overseas. Are we still a credible ally to our most important defensive partner, the United States? What price must we pay to retain our place at the top table of the global system? Ultimately, Nick asks if all this matters - did David Cameron’s historic defeat in the Commons over intervention in Libya mark the end of Britain’s willingness to engage in conflicts overseas at all?

A Juniper Connect production for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4