University of Tehran Published jointly with Iranian World Studies Association Journal of World Sociopolitical Studies 2588-3119 9 1 2025 01 01 Ontological Insecurity and the Decline of the UK Empire: A Study of National Identity under the New Labour Government (1997-2007) 153 191 101256 10.22059/wsps.2025.385967.1476 EN Siavash Chavoshi Assistant Professor of European Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 0000-0002-1387-2997 Journal Article 2024 08 25 This article investigates whether the United Kingdom experienced a significant identity crisis, both geographically and historically, during the New Labour government (1997-2007); it argues that the United Kingdom, which was traditionally regarded as a dominant global superpower, can no longer sustain such a role in the complex and evolving dynamics of the modern world. In this regard, the key question raised is “To what extent were New Labour's policies under Tony Blair shaped by social factors such as trauma, anxiety, and status?” Using a mixed methodology, the article hypothesizes that the UK government struggled to assert material power, while addressing societal anxieties linked to its waning status as a middle power in the international society. The historical analysis traces the roots of the UK's self-perception, connecting this behaviour to a state of ontological insecurity—a national identity crisis in contemporary times to act as a great power in international society. The article concludes that this sense of ontological insecurity under the New Labour government (1997-2007) originates from the loss of Britain's prodigious power status to the United States after World War II, along with the gradual erosion of British influence over former dominions, colonies, and other territories.<br />  https://wsps.ut.ac.ir/article_101256_ca5512de6ee232d84cdd1447b7ca1e27.pdf