Analysis

- Bridget Kendall, BBC diplomatic correspondent

The news that Scotland is not going to leave the UK will mean many governments are heaving a sigh of relief.

Some feared that Scottish independence might encourage other separatist movements. Others worried that it would turn the rest of the UK into a weaker and distracted partner.

But has Britain's global standing been affected nonetheless?

There is an argument that the UK, along with the rest of the West, is already in decline - its clout eroded by the rise of emerging giants like China, India, Russia and Brazil.

And the very fact of this referendum shows its power and prestige is on the wane, and its reliability as a partner has been undermined.

There is a worry too that new devolved powers promised to Scotland, and further constitutional change being called for elsewhere in the UK, may mean that the government in London will be too distracted to pull its weight on foreign affairs.