The Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom - Case Study Example

The United s of America and the United Kingdom have been close allied for decades and have a develop friendship which the popular media referredas a ‘Special Relationship’. The special relationship between these two countries started during World War II when they countries collaborated by sharing intelligence. The agreement was mutually beneficial since both countries were fighting a common enemy, Germany. This paper studies the special relationship between these countries over the years and what have been the consequences of their union. It provides a critical analysis of the effect the Iraq war had on the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. The British people have always admired the American culture and in certain aspects they feel more attach to America than to its neighboring European countries. The two countries build a close bond in the 1940’s when they work together during World War II. These were rough times with high levels on uncertainty. By working together and sharing military intelligence the countries gained a competitive advantage during the war. They won the war and ever since these countries started a close relationship. The basis of the relationship was established during this event as a military coalition and establishing open lines of communication among all intelligence communities in the two countries. The biggest benefit each other has gained from their political affairs has been military, but analyzing each country a significant fact is that both countries are huge investors in each others economy. This implies that their good relationship has helped these countries in business affairs by creating a favorable business environment. The perception of the British citizen concerning the special relationship between these countries is that the United Kingdom has not received as much from the relationship as the United States. The United Kingdom mostly has always pleased the United States in any request or help they solicited, with the biggest exception being Vietnam. Of course looking at the event from a historical perspective nobody could really blame the United Kingdom for not getting involved since most of the American civilian population was against the war on Vietnam. The relationship has been considered one of a unilateral nature with the United States being the bigger beneficiary. The former Director of the Confederation of British Industries (CBI), Sir Digby Jones, said in a speech in Birmingham in 2006 “One of the most shocking and worrying aspects of this loss of independence has been a refusal to stand up to the United States in many areas. I want my Country back“(News Agency-Iran, 2006). A recent example of a British request that was denied by the United States of America was the Kyoto protocol. The Kyoto protocol is an environmental treaty which seeks a significant reduction in gas emission and global warming (About, 2007). The British government pushed the United States hard to join in the agreement, but the United States refused to comply claiming it was not in the economic interest of the American nation to follow those strict guidelines within the timeframe required by the protocol. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States was somewhat stagnant during the cold war and especially after the fall of the former Soviet Union in 1989. Ironically very soon after the fall of the Soviet Union the Unites States entered in a conflict in Iraq in 1991. The special relationship between the countries was instantly rekindled. During the cold war period the British army had lost a lot its capabilities since the country focus shifted elsewhere and military dominance was of secondary importance. During the Gulf Conflict the United States called for the British government to support them in this war. The United Kingdom came to the rescue immediately and send over 30,000 British troops to fight alongside the American soldiers (Dumbrell, 2004). The help was welcome and appreciated by the US. High military officers with the US militia immediately noticed that the British troop were not up to par with United States military standards. These troops lack a lot training the military knowledge which US soldiers took for granted. The British government also realized that their troops were weak and having a military force without the capabilities to win battles was not in the United Kingdom’s best interest. The American government was able to integrate the British troops into the war and won the Gulf War. The United Kingdom realization of their military weakness during this affair made them realize that in this changing environment in which conflicts and enemies were rising, especially in the middle east it was in their best interest to reestablish the special relationship they started with the United States 50 years before. Afghanistan was the next big war in which the United States was involved in 1998. After this war an event occurred that changed the world forever. On September 11, 2001 a terrorist attack struck the city of New York devastating the entire region and causing huge human suffering and the death of many U.S. citizens. The infrastructure of the city was affected tremendously especially in ground zero. The nature of the attack in which the terrorist converted a normal civilian airplane into a weapon of mass destruction was very worrisome for the US government. The international communities including the British government send as much help as they could to the victims of 9/11. This terrorist attack started what the Bush Administration calls the War on Terror. The United States government started preparations to go to war and eventually invaded Iraq. The British government had to make tough decisions regarding this war that would affect the country severely due to a variety of reasons. The war against Iraq since its inception has been very controversial. The justifications the American government gave to the international community for invading Iraq were not well accepted since a lot them were somewhat weak or invalid. For example the US claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction hidden. The military stationed in Iraq for over four years has not found any legitimate evidence to support the original claim. The international community opposed the war on Iraq. The United States government had possibly other motives such as gaining control of Iraqi Petroleum fields, of course the government has never and will never admit to such claims. The US called on Great Britain to support them in their invasion of Iraq. Despite the stance many other governments made against the war, especially within the European community the United Kingdom fully entered the war. The United States needed the United Kingdom to join them in the war, but it really was not just about gaining additional military assets. The United States needed the British to help them shift the international opinion about the war. As soon as the British entered the US was able to rapidly assemble a 40 country coalition that committed troops to the war, provide logistical help and most importantly brought political support (GlobalSecurity, 2007). The war started after 9/11, but in reality the actual military war did not occur until 2003. The biggest criticism of this was is that there seems to be no end to it. Both the United States and the British governments have spent billions of dollars to finance the war. The United Kingdom had other consequences from their evolvement in the war other than economic losses. The United Kingdom’s position of fully supporting the war against Iraq had plenty of consequences. The country became a prime target for the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. Geographical proximity to the Middle East places the United Kingdom at higher risk that the United States of recurrent terrorist attacks. The Al Qaeda organization is a lethal and dangerous group that attacks by forming interconnected terrorist cells out of thin air. They have precise plans and execute them in short amounts of time in many cases leaving practically no trace of their existence. The characteristics of the members of being suicide bombers add an extra element of danger and surprise to any attack they perform. On July 2005 the United Kingdom suffered two huge terrorist bombings on their soil in the city of London which targeted the city’s transportation system. The actual motives of these disturbed people at times are unknown, but it is certain that by United Kingdom supporting the War on Terror they became primary enemies of the terrorist opposition. The unfortunate events of July 7th and July 21st in London prove the point. The United Kingdom special relationship with the United States and its full support in the current war on Iraq has affected the country’s relationship with other European nations. Most of the countries in the Europe opposed of the war. The United Kingdom is perceived as an outcast with the European community for their position on the and for their special relationship with the United States. Since the creation of the European Union that was facilitated with the creation of the Euro one of the primary objections of the European Union is to defeat the United States in the economic war that was started with the birth of the Euro. Many Europeans feel the British are not looking out for the best interest of the Union. The fact that Great Britain is constantly supporting the United States in social, political, economical and military affairs is not helping the European Union in their conquest for world domination and replacing the United States as the most powerful nation in the world. The support of the war on Iraq has also affected the United Kingdom politically and socially within the British community. Just as many American citizens feel the war is been prolonged excessively, the British people feel the same way. In their case they feel betrayed by their government since this war was started by the American people and the level of involvement of the British Government is way beyond their responsibility of helping due the special relationship. The conflict has raised a lot discussion over the actual existence of the special relationship between the two nations. A lot of British people now feel that United States has constantly been taken advantage of the United Kingdom. The British community is a very multi-cultural society in which people of all ethnicity and cultural backgrounds have helped create the rich British culture. The conflict with Iraq has brought a lot of racial tension inside the United Kingdom especially against the country’s Muslim community which accounts for nearly 3% of the British population (Euro-Islam, 2007). Despite the consequences of the British involved in the War on Terror, the government had its reason and hidden agenda for getting involved in the affair. The government realized that the American claims that terrorist were a threat to every nation was true whey they were themselves attack on July 2005, but the real motivation of the British was military. After the British government realized and proved how inefficient their army had become early in the post cold war era during the Gulf War they needed serious help to prepare themselves for future wars. The United States military capacity and expertise exceed by a lot what any military in the world. The United Kingdom wanted to learn from the best things such as rapid defensive operations, effects based warfare, and centric warfare which is a system that provides the best tools for war in the shortest amount of time with the greatest impact (Global Security, 2007). The United Kingdom also realized that in our changing times in which there are a lot new potential threats worldwide creating a closer relationship with the world’s top military provides the country a higher level of security. Even though the United States has not being the greatest partner within the special relationship as far as backing the United Kingdom in a number of affairs they have always had a great military relationship. The British commitment to the War on Terror will not be forgotten by the Unites States government and the United Kingdom knows that they will be assisted by the United States if the British faced a major conflict in the near future. The United States and the United Kingdom have a special relationship which formed itself during World War II when the countries shared intelligence to gain the upper hand on a common enemy. The special relationship they formed has been based in military objectives, but both countries have negotiated well in a lot of other aspects with the Americans having had the better end of the deals most of the time. After 9/11 the United States responded by starting a war in the Middle East. They invaded Iraq and needed help to turn international opinion of the war. The British help the Americans in their war efforts. The British involved in the war on Iraq and their special relationship with the United States caused them internal political conflict, higher risk of terrorist attacks on the their nation and political conflict with other countries especially within the European community. The United Kingdom benefited from their involvement in the war on Iraq by forming a closer military bond with the United States that will help them increase the capabilities of their military units. References About.com (2007). Retrieved July 2, 2007 from http://www.about.com Dumbrell, J. (2004). The US-UK ‘Special Relationship’ in a world twice transformed. Review of International Affairs, 17(3), 4. Retrieved July 2, 2007 from EBSCOhost database. Euro-Islam (2007). United Kingdom. Retrieved July 2, 2007 from http://euro-islam.info/pages/uk.html GlobalSecurity (2007). Operations in Iraq: Lessons for the future. Retrieved July 2, 2007 from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2003/iraq-ops_lessons_ukmod_dec03_chap7.htm News-Agency-Iran (2006). Relations-America-Business. Arabia 2000. Retrieved July 2, 2007 from EBSCOhost database. Read More