When does a `special relationship' cease to be special?
Felix looks at the history of the post-war US-UK relationship and its recent problems
What connects bananas, steel and high performance jet engines? No, this is not the penultimate question of a fiendish psychometric test but just a few examples of recent disputes that have put a strain on the special relationship between the UK and the United States.
The relationship began with the cordial friendship between Roosevelt and Churchill during the Second World War. This allowed for the `lend-lease' programme, which allowed Britain to stay in the fight against the Nazis. The special relationship has continued to play an important role in trans-Atlantic relations up until the present day. Lord Mountbatten's friendship with Admiral Hyman Rickover gave Britain access to American nuclear submarine technology and allowed it to play a key role in NATO operations throughout the Cold War.
Yet this relationship has seen some significant upsets. The American orchestrated run on Sterling that caused the Suez expedition to be abandoned and Harold Wilson's refusal to deploy British troops to Vietnam are just two examples.
One of the more recent causes of concern has been EU subsidies on Caribbean grown bananas which penalise imports from Americanowned banana plantations in South America. Only last-minute diplomacy stopped the US from imposing tariffs that would have devastated the Cashmere industry. Recent moves by the US to introduce tariffs on steel as well as other protectionist policies are causing friction with Her Majesty's government but none more so than the recent fiasco over a defence contract.
The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a US-UK project that promises to produce a next generation fighter aircraft for use by the American military and the Royal Navy. The Americans have enraged the MOD by refusing to release the source code for the software that runs the aircraft. This would mean that the aircraft would have to be returned to the US for major upgrades and repairs. To add salt to the wound Congress has announced that it is considering cancelling the contract for Rolls-Royce to produce the backup engine for the JSF, preferring to rely on American defence giant Pratt and Whitney. Why have the Americans done what appears to be stabbing their friends in the back?
American foreign policy has always been characterized by the American citizen's needs and there is an element of that in the recent decision. Unfortunately for the trans-Atlantic relationship I believe that this most recent breakdown in relations is the result of a more serious issue; American policy planners are losing their trust in the UK as a strategic partner. Britain has acquired a reputation of being a hotbed of terrorist activity and radicalisation. The Americans quite rightly do not want the software that will power the majority of their air force falling into the hands of the enemy.
As the US embarks on its `long war' on terror, Europe and the UK continue to drag their feet. The US plan of long term engagement with global terrorist elements through the use of Special Forces and long distance remote strikes were greeted with caution by the European Member states. This is not the attitude that the Americans want to hear and certainly will not make them disposed to share multi-billion pound defence technology with us.
As nuclear weapons ensured the UK's position as a global player during the cold war, so will our contribution to anti-terrorism determine our position at the table in the 21st century. In order to participate we must have adequate technology and in order to acquire it we must reaffirm our resolve to support our American allies in defence of the values that we both share.
