The relationship with France was also in a shambles as British occupation in Egypt, although accidental, had caused the centuries of political antagonism between the nations to be further compounded. The occupation of Egypt had also had another indirect consequence as Britain now had another buffer country for the protection of India. Subsequently the relationship between the Britain and the other buffer state, Turkey, deteriorated as Britain did not need her support as much and Salisbury had become increasingly suspicious of the Turkish Sultan and his actions . Consequently Britain refused to guarantee the protection of Constantinople.
Finally the fact that Britain had not forged alliances with any nation apart from trade agreements meant that Britain had no allies if war was to occur and even though powerful, without allies it still maintained an iota of vulnerability. This was encapsulated by the fact that Britain refused to even pledge aid to Italy if France, demonstrating her impartiality, attacked it. .
3. There is indeed a thesis and antithesis on the concept that was Britain's policy at the turn of the century actually "splendid isolation". The argument that "splendid isolations" was a policy rather than a fact is supported in a number of ways. Even though Britain had antagonism with most major European powers it still was the most powerful nation in the world and still controlled 20% of the world's land. This domination is demonstrated in the Boer War as even though the increasingly resentful nations, such as France, did condemn the British, no nation opposed Britain militarily. In addition as navies were the pinnacle and pride of each country, Britain's navy was the largest by far. This superiority was conveyed by the "two power standard" which meant Britain's navy was always twice the size of its nearest rival. In comparison France's navy was vastly deficient in resources and the Russian navy was infamous for its lack of organisation.
