Christoph Meyer on the special relationship between the US and the UK

Christoph Meyer, former British Ambassador to Washington, reflects on the "special relationship" between the United States and Britain: "Since 1945, the relationship has gone through sharp troughs and peaks. These have had almost nothing to do with whichever party was in power. It has always been about interests and issues - and, at the margin, personal chemistry between leaders. ... America will act on an unsentimental calculation of where its national interest lies. The problem with the rhetoric of the Special Relationship is that it implicitly denies this reality, putting a burden of expectation on the ties between our two countries, which they cannot bear. Whoever wins, Britain must rest its relationship with America on four propositions: is America our single most important ally and partner? Absolutely. Does this mean that our national interests will always coincide? Absolutely not. Should we stand up for our interests when they diverge from the Americans? Absolutely. Will having rows with the US from time to time fatally undermine the closeness of the relationship? Absolutely not."

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