UK-US relationship, not so special anymore?

[The Larch]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8590767.stm

Special relationship between UK and US is over, MPs say

The UK government needs to be "less deferential" towards the US and more willing to say no to Washington, a group of MPs have said.

The Commons Foreign Affairs committee also said it was wrong to speak of "the special relationship" with the US, as it was fostering other alliances.

However, the MPs did agree that the link between the countries was "profound and valuable".

The Foreign Office said the two nations share a "unique" bond.

The committee said the phrase "the special relationship" did not reflect the "modern" Anglo-American relationship.

It was originally coined more than 60 years ago by Winston Churchill.

'Potentially misleading'

The committee said although Britain and the US still had close ties, the UK's influence had "diminished" as its economic and military power had waned.

"The use of the phrase 'the special relationship' in its historical sense, to describe the totality of the ever-evolving UK-US relationship, is potentially misleading, and we recommend that its use should be avoided," the committee said.

"The overuse of the phrase by some politicians and many in the media serves simultaneously to de-value its meaning and to raise unrealistic expectations about the benefits the relationship can deliver to the UK."

Three Labour MPs and two Conservatives voted unsuccessfully for the recommendation to be dropped but were over-ruled.

The committee said that the relationship was more associated now with the perceived support Britain gave to President George W Bush over the Iraq war.
   
"The perception that the British government was a subservient 'poodle' to the US administration leading up to the period of the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath is widespread both among the British public and overseas," it said.

"This perception, whatever its relation to reality, is deeply damaging to the reputation and interests of the UK."

The committee also said US President Barack Obama had taken the same "pragmatic" attitude as it was recommending now since entering the White House in 2009.

It said: "The UK needs to be less deferential and more willing to say no to the US on those issues where the two countries' interests and values diverge.

"The UK's relationship should be principally driven by the UK's national interests within individual policy areas. It needs to be characterised by a hard-headed political approach to the relationship and a realistic sense of the UK's limits."

Committee chairman Mike Gapes said: "We must be realistic and accept that globalisation, structural changes and shifts in geopolitical power will inevitably affect the UK-US relationship.

"Over the longer-term, the UK is unlikely to be able to influence the US to the extent it has in the past."

'Unique'

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the British media's "preoccupation" with the state of the relationship was often at the "expense of coverage of the more substantive aspects of the relationship".

"It doesn't really matter whether someone calls it 'the special relationship' or not," she said.

"What matters is that the UK's relationship with the US is unique, and uniquely important to protecting our national security and promoting our national interest."

Sir Winston had first coined the phrase during his famous "Iron Curtain" speech in March 1946.

He had been inspired by the countries' shared struggle against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

And throughout the Cold War, cultural and historical similarities, diplomatic consultation and defence and nuclear co-operation meant that Anglo-American relations were particularly close.

It was strange to see that nobody had posted this, it should appeal directly to all our resident foreign policy wonks. 

[Ed Anger]

Yay! No more having to pretend to listen to the Brits!

[Caliga]

Mike Gapes will have a mysterious fatal car accident in the near future.

[Neil]

No kidding.  Brown is an obsequious suck-up, and Obama has nothing but contempt for the UK.

Maybe the Scoobie Gang will pull off Obama's mask and reveal Lyndon Larouche.

It seems that in recent years, it is the Republicans that prefer reaching out to the UK, while the Democrats go out beyond the Anglosphere, no doubt in an effort to appear like they care about non-whites.

[Caliga]

Obama's current project is destroying the US-Israeli relationship.  Give him some time to finish that up (he's horrible at multitasking) before he gets around to finishing the destruction of the US-UK one. 

[Martinus]

If only you guys listened to Guardian readers when they were sending letters to you in 2004 not to vote for Bush anymore, none of this would have happened. 

[Martinus]

Obama's current project is destroying the US-Israeli relationship.  Give him some time to finish that up (he's horrible at multitasking) before he gets around to finishing the destruction of the US-UK one. 

LOL that's so moronic. Hard-line Israelis that form the current Israeli government are destroying the US-Israeli relationship. At least Obama doesn't want to be a poodle to Israel any more than Brown wants to be a poodle to the US.

[grumbler]

It surprises me not at all that many British politicians did not understand what was special about the "special relationship" and still don't.  Many US politicians suffer from the same ignorance.

"The UK's relationship should be principally driven by the UK's national interests within individual policy areas. It needs to be characterised by a hard-headed political approach to the relationship and a realistic sense of the UK's limits."

That statement exemplifies the ignorance.  The whole point of the special relationship was that both countries could pursue the principal of national interests while cooperating, because US and UK national interests were so close.

I think this largely remains true, though Britain's relationship with Europe is now more important than its relationship to the US.

The special relationship was always most strongly expressed in ways other than diplomatic, though.  Those ways were highly classified, though (and may still be), and as far as I know are ongoing, so I am not surprised many don't know much about it.  The cooperation of the US and UK in the black world is probably absolutely unique.

[grumbler]

Obama's current project is destroying the US-Israeli relationship.  Give him some time to finish that up (he's horrible at multitasking) before he gets around to finishing the destruction of the US-UK one. 

Yes, Obama is destroying the Israeli PM's perception that his government can get away with anything at all.  Frankly, the US is far too closely tied to Israel anyway; there are some fundamental conflicts between a state that rejects identities primarily based on religion, nationality, and ethnicity and one that is established expressly to promote those primary identities.

[Neil]

Obama's ability to destroy the Israeli-US relationship is much more limited, because Congress is packed with large numbers of pro-Israeli legislators on both sides of the aisle.  If Obama goes too far, they'll shut down his agenda.

There isn't a large number of British-Americans propping up a British lobby, nor are there large swathes of America who feel sympathy towards Britain because they are in a struggle against terrorists.  In fact, when Britain was in a struggle against terrorists, there was a lobby in the US supporting the terrorists.

[Neil]

Yes, Obama is destroying the Israeli PM's perception that his government can get away with anything at all.  Frankly, the US is far too closely tied to Israel anyway; there are some fundamental conflicts between a state that rejects identities primarily based on religion, nationality, and ethnicity and one that is established expressly to promote those primary identities.

The US doesn't reject identities based on nationality or ethnicity.  Obviously, 'American' is a nationality, and the American state's history with race and ethnicity is long and colourful.  But what you said holds true for religion, and that's key here, since many Jews are closely related to Arabs in everything but religion (Siegebreaker).

[MadImmortalMan]

It seems that in recent years, it is the Republicans that prefer reaching out to the UK, while the Democrats go out beyond the Anglosphere

Just like the days of Adams and Jefferson. 

[Caliga]

Sorry, I thought it was obvious I was making a "channeling Hans" joke there. 

[Razgovory]

No kidding.  Brown is an obsequious suck-up, and Obama has nothing but contempt for the UK.

Maybe the Scoobie Gang will pull off Obama's mask and reveal Lyndon Larouche.

It seems that in recent years, it is the Republicans that prefer reaching out to the UK, while the Democrats go out beyond the Anglosphere, no doubt in an effort to appear like they care about non-whites.

Nixon said it was dead back in the 1970's.

[The Brain]

Will Obama reset it?