The Souring Special Relationship
When Theresa May became the first head of state to visit Donald Trump in Washington, a photo of the two leaders holding hands while strolling around the White House went viral — predictably stealing the show from any other news about their meeting.
Like all things that Brexit colours, reactions to both the photo and meeting drew scorn and admiration. To some, inviting President Trump to a state visit, among the UK’s highest honours, saw Britain sell its integrity to a man yet to bid on it. For others, it was a pragmatic and sensible step ahead of the many bold ones Britain needs to make to carve a thriving new place for itself on the world’s stage.
After all, what more could boost the United Kingdom than an enlivened bond with the United States; ally in arms, intelligence, and investment? The Transatlantic allies have dovetailed once again, now with an appetite for bygone national confidence — spot the difference, if you can, between “Make America Great Again” and “Take Back Control.”
A year on from this shared battle cry, the pair has rarely seemed so estranged. May, once understandable in her attempt to frame the UK as a broker between the US and Europe, has failed to tame President Trump’s provocations into dependable support. The Prime Minister has, with some success, encouraged her counterpart to remain committed to NATO, an alliance he regards as “obsolete,” but the commendations end here.
Twice the UK suffered terror attacks in 2017 — and twice the US’ response was to agitate. Following the Manchester bombing, US intelligence leaked the attacker’s name along with crime scene photos. Appalling to many in Whitehall, this incident was just a precursor to Mr. Trump’s dismissal of London Mayor Sadiq Khan after the terror attack in June.
In November, relations reached rock bottom. When the President shared several anti-Islam videos from Britain First, a far-right party on the fringes of British politics, Britain responded with widespread disgust, disputing the credibility of the videos. Mrs. May condemned President Trump’s actions, a response which led him to hit back personally: not even the ‘special relationship’ could save the Prime Minister from the President’s Twitter hit list.
Currently, President Trump’s visit to the UK lingers in diplomatic limbo. Once promised a reception with the Queen, Trump’s trip had been seemingly downgraded to a working visit — before he cancelled it entirely. Exclusive dining in Beijing’s Forbidden City and Riyadh’s spectacle of glowing orbs and sword dancing may have set the bar high, and certainly higher than the opening of London’s new US embassy could ever fulfil — especially if said embassy was a ‘bad deal’ made by Obama.
While this is the official explanation for the President’s latest cancellation, there is another theory. It is rare to see such consensus across the UK’s political spectrum, as prominent voices from Labour’s Sadiq Khan, to Conservative Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, all agree that disdain from the British public and government is what has really deterred Mr. Trump. This view is further backed by ‘Fire and Fury’ author Michael Wolff, among other sources close to the President.
As a leader who prides herself on stoicism, Mrs. May is bound to portray the situation as business as usual. After all, her premiership comes loaded with the improbable mission of steering Britain undamaged through Brexit; the political quake to define a generation. In “strong and stable” style, it is likely that May will continue to insist that the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and US is unique, unparalleled, and unshakeable. But the mask is slipping. The second promise from May and Trump’s early meeting — a lucrative trade deal between the UK and US — fades further from memory with each discouraging headline.
Looking back, it is telling that the term ‘special relationship’ was coined by Winston Churchill in his Iron Curtain speech; the union of ‘us’ against ‘them’. The term’s sway as a point of pride and a war cry has since ebbed and flowed with the leaders that share the stage. The burning desire to roll back communism and install neoliberal regimes around the globe forged a famously strong bond between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, while Tony Blair and Bill Clinton stood side by side to lead NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, in the name of ‘humanitarian intervention’.
Here begins the downward spiral: Blair’s zealous support of the Iraq War has permanently stained his reputation, unhelped by the view that the UK’s involvement was meant to appease Washington. The Transatlantic military alliance would prove ineffectual and destructive again while intervening in Libya — the aftermath of which President Obama described as his ‘worst mistake’. The former President scrutinised David Cameron’s support throughout the operation and, according to insiders, regarded the ‘special relationship’ as a joke.
Time will tell how effectively Theresa May and Donald Trump approach their mounting tensions. But while both nations are consumed with their own political chaos, it is clear that this friendship — ailing or revived — is not enough to save one another from themselves.
Originally published at raddingtonreport.com on January 22, 2018.
