ABSTRACT
Reflecting a generally multiculturalist rhetoric, UK policy in this area has hitherto focused on enhancing the degree to which the armed services represent or reflect the ethnic makeup of the UK population. Ambitious targets have been set and some progress made in moving towards them. However, the dynamics of population change, together with the diverse preferences of ethno-religious minorities, have meant that the goal of representativeness has remained out of reach. At the same time, the armed services have continued to struggle with an ongoing recruitment problem while the volume of operational commitments has shown little sign of reducing. The authors have previously argued that the heritage of empire has been a key background factor, from the perspective both of the armed services and of potential minority ethnic recruits. Since 11 September 2001, a further series of complicating circumstances has entered the arena. The ‘war on terror’ has generated a clear sense of marginalisation among some of Britain’s Muslim minorities, while the participation of British-born Muslims in the 2 July 2005 attacks in London has raised new questions about the relationship between formal citizenship, identity, rights and duties. It has also led to the very principle of multiculturalism, long challenged by both the white right-wing and black nationalists, being increasingly questioned across the political spectrum.
