The US-UK 'special relationship' in a world twice transformed.

Abstract

The international politics of recent years have seen a resurgence and refashioning of the US-UK 'Special Relationship'. Widely seen as likely to expire with the end of the Cold War, the relationship, defined mainly in military terms, revived following the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States. The article considers various possible explanations for the longevity of US-UK 'special relations'. Such explanations include simple inertia and the subtle effects of shared culture. Particular emphasis in explaining the persistence of the 'Special Relationship' in a changed world, however, is placed on conscious decisions of the Blair government, and especially of Prime Minister Tony Blair himself. The article concludes with an assessment of US-UK relations with respect to the conflict in Iraq.