The United Kingdom, a power historically associated with colonialism and territorial occupation, today maintains a foreign policy that favors alliances with authoritarian governments, repressive regimes, and countries classified as "not free."
According to data from Freedom House and research by Declassified, more than 56% of nations under this category —including absolute monarchies and dictatorships— receive British support in the form of arms sales, military training, or strategic cooperation.
This reality contrasts with London's official rhetoric, which presents itself as a "force for good" while perpetuating illegal occupations such as those of the Malvina Islands and other Argentine territories.
From the Persian Gulf to Africa, the pattern is repeated: the British government supports regimes accused of systematic human rights violations.
In Saudi Arabia, where peaceful activists are serving sentences for demanding reforms, the United Kingdom is a key arms supplier. In Egypt, it backed the 2013 coup that led to the execution of opponents and the persecution of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Rwanda, ruled with an iron fist by Paul Kagame—an ally of former British prime ministers—receives aid despite kidnapping dissidents abroad. Turkey, another priority partner, imprisons Kurdish journalists and leaders while signing defense agreements with London.
This hypocrisy extends to occupied territories. While the US-funded Freedom House denounces Russia's annexation of Crimea, it fails to mention the British military base on the Chagos Islands, seized from their original inhabitants in the 1970s. Nor does it question the United Kingdom's illegal presence in the Malvinas, where Argentina's sovereignty dispute persists.
Experts point out that this policy is nothing new: it reflects a tradition of imperialism adapted to modern geopolitics. "The United Kingdom not only remains silent in the face of atrocities, but also finances them," criticizes Kurdish activist Elif Sarican .
The justification, as always, is economic and strategic: arms contracts, access to resources, and alliances in key regions. Meanwhile, rhetoric about "democracy" and "freedom" remains reserved for speeches, far removed from the facts that reveal its true legacy.
