Britain and America: Has the 'Special Relationship' ended?

Since the end of the Second World War, Great Britain and America have enjoyed a 'special relationship' that has seen the two countries enjoy certain security, intelligence and information benefits. However, the recent release of the Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, has put pressure on the relationship and led many pundits to question whether the 'relationship' is over, and what this means for the two countries.

The phrase, 'special relationship' was coined by Winston Churchill during a speech 1946 and has, for many critics simply implied that the UK was at the beck and call of the US, and we were simply the 51st state but this is not the first time our respective countries have fallen out and jeopardised dealings between the two countries.

Prime Minister Harold Wilson alienated the American government during the 1960s when he refused to send British armed forces into Vietnam, leaving many in America angry and accusatory of Britain saying they were allowing Communism to spread. It was countered that the British were already dealing with a Communist insurgency in Malaysia, but already cracks were beginning to show.

Generally, the 'relationship' has always revolved around security and national interests; during the latter stages of Cold War, the two countries shared a close bond with Thatcher and Reagan in power. The relationship saw the deployment of cruise missiles in Britain that was seen as a major factor in the fall of Communism.

However, national interests have also been the reason for diplomatic fallout. Whilst the recent release of the Lockerbie bomber has been dubbed by many as a ploy of the behalf of the British government to secure Libyan trade agreements, the Americans have done the same in the past.

In the 1950s, the American used financial pressure to make Britain give up their military action against Egypt during the Suez Crisis. It is said the British were outraged and letdown that the US was more concerned about securing their interests in the Middle East than of backing their British allies and the 'special relationship' was pronounced dead back then.

So is it merely a case of each country acting in their best interests and only working with the other when circumstances deem it necessary? Quite possibly.

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