Ronald Reagan: Conviction politics and the transatlantic relationship

Abstract

‘Personal relations matter more in international politics than the historians would have us believe’1 Ronald Reagan, writing about Margaret Thatcher in 1989 This article argues that any ‘nomination’ of a president for Transatlantica, interpreted here as being a ‘territory’ primarily occupied by the United States and the United Kingdom, should have three elements. The first is an acceptance by the ‘governed’ of the said ‘president’, with the former in this case being the leadership of the UK. The second is a unity of purpose founded on a common world view and evidenced at all levels, from the identification of enemies abroad to the proffered solutions to practical issues at home. The third is a consistency of action and a resiliency of trust in the face of differences in opinion or policy. Margaret Thatcher, while prime minister, accepted Ronald Reagan's leadership, despite the fact she was arguably the more experienced international politician. The two shared a form of ‘conviction politics’ that drove not...