special relationship

   A term used to describe the warm political and diplomatic relations between the United States (US) and some Western nations, particularly Great Britain. The relationship has been the centrepiece of British foreign policy in the post-1945 era. It is based on bonds of culture, history and language, as well as a perceived similarity of political interest and outlook. Its strength has varied according to the leadership on both sides of the Atlantic, but the ties between Churchill and President Roosevelt, Macmillan and Kennedy, Thatcher and Reagan, Blair and Clinton/George W. Bush have been particularly close and strong.

   The personal understanding and political cooperation of the British and US leadership in 1939–45 was based on a common desire to defeat Fascist aggression. After the war, the countries were even more closely bonded by the growing threat posed by the Soviet Union, as the Cold War developed. Once the Cold War was over, the need for such close military cooperation initially no longer seemed as great a priority, but the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait brought the two countries into battle on the same side once more. The aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, including the war on terror and the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003, showed how supportive Britain was of the American position.

   Europeans, perhaps especially the British, have always been tempted to overrate their importance in American eyes to whom the term ‘special relationship’ might cause confusion, especially for those living on the West coast. But members of several American administrations continue to regard Britain as not only a loyal ally, but also a useful bridge between the US and the European Union, as Britain has important links with both.

   See also: first Gulf war, Iraq war