M any people outside the UK are asking: “what the hell are the British people doing to themselves?” When it comes to Brexit, are the Brits really going to scupper an already shaky world order just to placate some populist fanatics?

For decades, centuries even, the world order was shaped by the UK. The British empire was seen by others around the globe as the cornerstone of its stability (imperial injustices aside). This view arose from the former British colonies’ familiarity with British troops, British industry and trade, as well as British soft power (the royal family and BBC) and what it used to mean for them, for their past and future.