Anglo-American Problems: The Special Relationship

Abstract

This review article focuses on three studies of different aspects of Anglo-American relations, and it attempts to place these studies in the larger context of Anglo-American scholarship. Kori Schake examines British-American affairs over a period of almost two centuries with the intention of explaining the unique process by which an established hegemonic power gave way to a rising power without an armed conflict. This thesis is articulated with a concern about the prospect of the threat of a rising China. Andrew Mumford emphasizes the extent to which the Anglo-American special relationship has been strained by counter-insurgency conflicts since World War II. In various of these crises, both Britain and the United States had different interests, constituencies, and counter-insurgency military methods that alienated and created tension between the two allies. B.J.C. McKercher takes a broader historical look at Anglo-American relations in the twentieth century and finds the special relationship much more flexible and workable than either Schake or Mumford does. He concludes that both countries needed allies and that Britain and the United States still have more in common with each other than with the rest of the international community. Anglo-American relations remains a topic of international interest and relevance.