The Symbiotic Relationship Between the United States and Britain - Essay Example

 Anglo American relations have been rooted in the history of the Western polity. While America won independence by combating the British sponsored forces, the alliance between these two countries has survived over two centuries of fractious disunity in the World order. No doubt there have been a number of occasions as the Suez crisis of 1956 and the War in Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s that the relationship has been less than perfect. However this has been the longest standing relationship between two nations in modern history. Thus a term, “special relationship” is used to describe Anglo American association which is based on mutual interests as most trusted allies, supporting each other in NATO, providing an “atlanticist” voice in the European Union, and jointly advocating US strategic policies. The primacy of the transatlantic alliance has remained despite Britain’s entry into the European Union. This has been sustained by the number of conflicts that both the countries have fought together in the past two decades, from the bombing of Libya to Kosovo and now Iraq. (Wither: 2003). The role of war and conflict has thus been a major contributing factor that has shaped the nature of the special relationship between Great Britain and the United States. This is being examined in succeeding paragraphs in two parts. In Part I a broad swathe of history from 1940 to 2000 would be covered while Part II would cover the more contemporary years to the present coagulation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part One – War and conflict 1940-2000 The Second World War was initially fought on the European Continent and American role was marginal till it came under Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The American masses were generally against participation in a Continental War. The British were facing a crisis of sorts as France was overrun and the Soviet Union came under the throes of the biggest threat ever, Churchill the British Prime Minister was left to Britain’s dogged determination to survive the critical days till America joined the war effort. The incidents leading to Pearl Harbor, America’s reaction to Japan’s surprise attack and British response denote that Churchill had foreseen the eventuality of this strike and declared war against Japan within 24 hours. It was a momentous event and Churchill could not hide his glee at finally drawing America into the Great War, as this tipped the balance in favor of the Allies. (Churchill: 1970). A key event which not only determined the course of the Second World War but also the post war alliance was drafting of the Atlantic Charter. Churchill had developed personal rapport with the American President, Roosevelt. Drafting of the Charter was a triumph of Anglo American cooperation. The declaration included provisions as no territorial aggrandizement or changes by the alliance partners, right of people to choose the form of government, fair and equitable distribution of resources and creation of peace and stability within nations as also on the high seas. (Churchill: 1970). The United Nations was thus formed after the war and a number of nations freed from colonial dominance. This also spelt doom for the British Empire as one colony after another was granted independence and British power nebulous as always weakened and the World came increasingly under American influence. However as the principal victors of the Second World War and founding members of the United Nations, Britain and America were granted a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. The Council had the powers to carry out any intervention or block it through the veto which was only with the permanent members. Britain and the United States were pitched against France, China and Russia which decreed that there was a necessity to form a coagulation of mutual interests if the will of any of the dominant powers was to prevail. Historical interests saw that an Anglo American concord would sustain. The First Post Second World War event where British and American alliance was tested was during the 1950 intervention by the United Nations Forces in the Korean peninsula. (Anglo American Relations : 2006) Formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO was a result of the sharp divide which had arisen between the Soviet block states led by Russia and America along with Britain aligned with Western European states as France and Britain in the period known as the Cold War. Thus a common adversary once again sustained Anglo American relations. The theory of atomic wars denotes that an alliance armed with nuclear weapons is obsolescent. This reality is also evident in a coalition where one member is armed with nuclear weapons and is not accepted by any member thus armed. This is explained by the policies of France and China and the development of a national nuclear capability by Great Britain. However this is not seen applicable to Anglo American relationship both being nuclear powers. (Raymond. Rosecrance : 1966). Thus we find Britain’s Trident missiles leased from the United States. (Wither : 2003). A strategic agreement between America and UK also promises to furnish the Royal Air Force with atomic bombs and coordinate joint Anglo American nuclear operations in the case of any eventuality. (Finn. Berg: 2004). Such a strategic nuclear bargain is an exception in inter state relations. The relationship however came under strain when Britain coagulated with France and Israel to strike the Egyptian forces on the Suez canal independent of the United Sates. This invited immediate castigation by the US President leading to a currency crisis triggered due to a variety of factors but mostly due to the extra expenditure that would have been incurred for traveling around the Cape of Good Hope, once Suez Canal was blocked. The operations were successful, but a cease fire was forced by U S President Eisenhower. This resulted in a temporary strain in relationship between the two allies, an underlying cause perhaps being lack of a military threat. France protesting the US decision to force a withdrawal from Suez, meant that Britain was isolated on the Continent and had to cement its Trans Atlantic partnership with the United States. (Suez, BBC). The significant lesson learnt by the British in this crisis was not a change in the strategy as Nigel Ashton has brought out, "that British strategy in the region changed very little in the wake of Suez. Macmillan (the new British Prime Minister) was every bit as determined as Eden (who had resigned post Suez fiasco) had been to stop Nasser", (Anglo – American: 2006) but a felt necessity of aligning itself permanently with the United States particularly in times of crisis. The disappointment expressed by France and the ineffectiveness of NATO also demonstrated the need for Britain to be with the America or face isolation. (Suez – Canal). The next crisis in Anglo American relations came about during the American intervention in Vietnam. British Prime Minister Harold Wilson did not support American intercession in Vietnam and staunchly opposed it. (Coleman. Cymru. Et Al ). This was due to opposition to the Vietnam War by the British labor party and the general public thereby forcing Wilson to abandon long term British policy of overwhelming support to the Americans. The personal relationship between Johnson and Wilson was characteristically at an all time low. (Coleman. Cymru. Et Al. :). Wilson however was personally in favor of sending troops, but pubic opinion barred him from doing so much to the discomfort of the Americans who would have been satisfied with a token British presence. The Falklands War in 1982 saw another minor hitch in relationship however one which was speedily put right. America desired to retain a balance between Argentina and Britain, however later the AIM 9 L sidewinder Air to Air missiles were released to the British which made a substantial difference with its accuracy during air combat. Extensive satellite intelligence was also provided making the tasks of the British forces relatively easier. (The Falklands War). The military alliance was sustained during the period of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and Margaret Thatcher is said to have provided arms to fight the Soviet led mujaheedins. (Anglo American Relations : 2006). The 1991 Persian Gulf War once again brought the British and the Americans closer together. However the forces operated under the UN umbrella hence the relationship was not tested. The war in Kosovo saw the forces once again side by side till peace was imposed. There are reports that the United States was actively pursuing peace in Ireland and helped in securing the agreement. (Anglo American Relations : 2006) Thus despite its disagreements with the US, Britain overlooked its concerns over US invasion of Grenada in 1983 and provided bases for bombing Libya in 1986, activities which particularly cemented relations. The final culmination however was the staunch support given and some analysts say even a push by Margaret Thatcher for launching operations in the Gulf in 1991, to liberate Kuwait. (Wright: 2005). The 1991 Gulf War thus appears to be the turning point in the relationship in recent times, which s been consistently even thereafter till the present times as is being examined in Part 2. Part Two- 2001-Present The US-UK alliance is said to be based on a powerful commonality of interests, economic, military, financial and power polity. This is said to be as hegemonistic as the British colonial empire of yesteryears. The global military agenda particularly post 9/11 was characterized by a series of interventions. These included covert military and intelligence operations in the US sponsored process of "democratization". ( Chossudovsky : 2005).While American interest could be to seek space and resources for exercising hegemony, Britain could ensure that alliance with the United States provided it influence in international affairs, as a result it has continued in the war against terrorism waged post 9/11. (Wright: 2005). For an increasingly beleaguered US government at home as well as abroad, Britain provided a bastion of support in its gravest moments of public opinion crisis. (Wither: 2003). Britain has successfully leveraged its willingness to place its troops in an Anglo American alliance to gain priority over other Western Allies, France and Germany. (Wither: 2003). As crisis breeds better emotional bondage, the relationship has grown with each common cause made in international wars. The linking of the signals intelligence and other intelligence services of the two nations is an indication of this partnership bred by crisis. The intelligence relationship between Britain and America has been described as “as close as it gets”. (Wither: 2003). Intelligence sharing is a crisis driven function highlighting the basis of the relationship on a perception of commonality of threat especially in a global war against terrorism. (Wither: 2003). The British ability to project power in tandem with the United States has certainly suited the global super power and has thus further strengthened the bond. (Wither: 2003). Both the United States and Britain have had to balance their relationship with the EU and other NATO partners including Russia after the operations in Iraq. (Andrews: 2005) However this does not seem to have whittled away their strategic affinity but only firmed up the same. Conclusion The symbiotic relationship between the United States and Britain has been traced over the years in the paper. That this relationship is based on a mutuality of interests which get most pronounced when there is a crisis provides added impetus to the bond. This has been sustained over the years with some major, Vietnam and other smaller aberrations. However with the war against terror, post 9/11, the bonds have been cemented further. How this relationship evolves in the wake of the crisis looming large in Iraq and Iran needs to be seen. Britain understands that it is likely to remain peripheral to Europe as it is in a geographically detached position. The history of Britain is also different from that of continental Europe. Churchill’s famous quote that no two countries have been so completely mixed up together for mutual and general advantage underlines the American relationship with Britain. It was of course Churchill, the politician who very shrewdly recognized that he needed America rather than West European nations which brought America, closer to Britain. (Coker: 1996). It would thus be apparent that it is conflict alone which has sustained Anglo-American partnership. America has a need for an continental ally in Europe and Britain has been the most trusted one over the years. This legacy is likely to continue in the years ahead, despite the losses in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reference 1. Andrews. D. The Atlantic Alliance under Stress: US-European Relations after Iraq (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) 2. Churchill, Winston. (1970). the Second World War Volume 3- The Grand Alliance. Houghton Mifflin. New York. 3. Chossudovsky, Michel. The Anglo American War of Terror: An Overview. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20051221&articleId=1576. (02 May 2006). 4. Coker .C. ‘Britain and the New World Order: The Special Relationship in the 1990s’, Royal Institute of International Affaires, 68/3 (1992) pp. 407-421. 5. Coleman, Jonathan. Cymru, Prifysgol. Aberystwyth. Harold Wilson, Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, 1964-68. http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/Wilsonjohnson.htm. (02 May 2006). 6. Finn, Christopher, Berg, Paul D. (2004). Anglo American Strategic Air Power Cooperation in the Cold War and Beyond. http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj04/win04/finn.html. (03 May 2006). 7. Raymond .D. & Rosecrance .R. : 1966. ‘Theory and Reality in the Anglo-American Alliance’, World Politics, 19/1 (1966) pp.21-51. 8. Anglo American Relations : 2006.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-American_relations. (02 May 2006). 9. Suez. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/britain/post_suez.shtm. (02 May 2006). 10. Suez Canal. http://www.answers.com/topic/suez-canal-crisis. (02 May 2006). 11. The Falklands War. http://www.falklandswar.org.uk/FAQ.htm#6. (02 May 2006). 12. Wright, Ben. Analysis: Anglo-American 'special relationship 'http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1913522.stm. (03 May 2006). 13. Wither, James, K. (2003). British Bulldog or Bush’s Poodle? Anglo-American Relations and the Iraq War. Parameters. Winter 2003-04, pp. 67-82. (03 May 2006).. http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/03winter/wither.htm Read More