Professor Nicholas Cull, director of the Masters Program in Public Diplomacy, spoke with KPCC about recent rumblings that the United Kingdom is looking to exit the European Union. Cull stated that the rising desire within the country to detach from the EU stems from Britain's history of isolationism.

"I think that the European Union is doing an excellent job of integrating Britain into being a major player still in the world, and I wish British people could see it that way rather than having these very antiquated notions of sort of a Little England," he said.

Cull did note, however, that the failure of the EU to respond to public opinion is also responsible for Britain's growing separatist mentality. "There’s a bit of a mismatch between what the European Union is demanding from member countries and what their people are prepared to deliver," he said."I think this feeling in the UK, that it’s time to reconsider membership of the European Union, is a symptom of this."

Cull emphasized that should the UK leave the European Union, the stability of Anglo-American relations would be at risk. "A lot of the people who are most skeptical of Europe are also most enthusiastic about the Anglo-American relationship and don’t understand that part of the value of Britain to the United States is as a point of entry into Europe," he said. "So I hope that the United States can play a strategic role here in recommending some good sense."

Listen to the interview here. Nicholas Cull