Sensemaking, systemic competition, and the social compact

The UK faces a growing range of complex transnational threats and is engaged in systemic competition with authoritarian states. This essay argues that the UK government’s response to these threats should make a virtue of the country’s values of openness and transparency. I argue that the UK government should support the development of sensemaking capabilities across society; that it should encourage the work of independent organisations that exploit the vulnerabilities inherent in authoritarian states; and that it should be more transparent about its own activities to preserve its social compact with the UK public.