How special is Britain and America's relationship? | The Economist

TL;DR

The UK-US special relationship is under serious strain, with Trump's hostility and a growing values divide making this rupture worse than past crises like Suez.

Key Points

• 1.Churchill coined 'special relationship' in 1946 as an ambitious values-based project. His Fulton, Missouri speech went beyond intelligence-sharing — he envisioned shared English-speaking values protecting the world from communism, famously describing the 'iron curtain' from Stettin to Trieste.
• 2.The relationship has survived major ruptures before. Past breaks include Suez (US used economic coercion against Britain and France), Vietnam, Britain banning U2 overflights during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the UK Parliament blocking Syria strikes under Cameron.
• 3.This current rupture is considered worse than previous ones. It coincides with Britain's sustained capability decline, America structurally pivoting away from Europe, and a deep cultural-values split — with the UK embracing multiculturalism while the US grows polarized against it.
• 4.King Charles is being deployed to Washington to win back Trump's affection. Trump has openly criticised Britain's PM, and analysts warn that unlike post-Suez — when Britain concluded it must get closer to America — this time no such reconciliation trajectory is visible.