Many U.S. officials and Members of Congress view the United Kingdom (UK) as the United
States’ closest and most reliable ally. This perception stems from a combination of factors,
including a sense of shared history, values, and culture, as well as extensive and long-established
cooperation on a wide range of foreign policy and security issues.
The modern U.S.-UK relationship was forged during the Second World War. It was cemented
during the Cold War, as both countries worked together bilaterally and within the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) to counter the threat of the Soviet Union. The United States and the
UK are two of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and both are
founding members of NATO. In the early 1990s, the UK was an important U.S. ally in the first
Gulf War, and the two countries later worked together in stabilization and peacekeeping
operations in the Balkans. The UK was the leading U.S. ally in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and
subsequent stabilization operations, remains the largest non-U.S. contributor to the NATO-led
mission in Afghanistan, and took a leading role in alliance operations in Libya in 2011. It is also
an important U.S. partner in efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear activities, and to combat
international terrorism. The UK is the seventh-largest economy in the world and a major financial
center. The United States and the UK share an extensive and mutually beneficial trade and
economic relationship, and each is the other’s largest foreign investor.
U.S. and UK officials, from the cabinet level down, consult frequently and extensively on many
global issues. American and British diplomats report often turning to each other first when
seeking to build support for their respective positions in multilateral institutions or during times
of crisis, as in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. British input is
often cited as an element in shaping U.S. foreign policy debates. Some observers assert that a
common language and cultural similarities, as well as the habits of cooperation that have
developed over the years, contribute to the ease with which U.S. and UK policymakers interact
with each other. The term “special relationship” has often been used to describe the high degree
of mutual trust between the two countries in cooperating on diplomatic and political issues. The
special relationship also encompasses close intelligence-sharing arrangements and unique
cooperation in nuclear and defense matters.
In the minds of many Americans, the UK’s strong role in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade reinforced an impression of closeness and solidarity.
The 2010 UK election resulted in the country’s first coalition government since the Second World
War. The Conservative Party won the most votes in the election, and Conservative leader David
Cameron became prime minister. To command a parliamentary majority, however, the
Conservatives were compelled to partner with the Liberal Democrats, who came in third place,
and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg became deputy prime minister. The Labour Party, now
led by Ed Miliband, moved into opposition after leading the UK government since 1997.
Economic and fiscal issues have been the central domestic challenge facing the coalition thus far.
Seeking to reduce the country’s budget deficit and national debt, the coalition adopted a five-year
austerity program early in its tenure. With a double-dip recession in 2012 and low growth
forecasts, the government has been maintaining its austerity strategy under considerable pressure
and criticism. Austerity has also heightened social tensions and contributed to rising political
friction between the coalition partners. Although the coalition arrangement went smoothly during
its first year, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have subsequently disagreed about a series
of domestic issues, including a number of proposed changes to the country’s political system.
Europe has been another source of tension. The UK has long been one of the most skeptical and
ambivalent members of the 27-country European Union (EU). While the Conservative Party
remains a stronghold of “euro-skeptics,” the Liberal Democrats are the UK’s most pro-EU
political party. The Eurozone crisis has deepened British antipathy toward the EU, fueling calls to
reclaim national sovereignty over issues where decision-making has been pooled and integrated
in Brussels. Some analysts believe that a British departure from the EU is a growing possibility;
Prime Minister Cameron intends to renegotiate some of the terms of membership and put the
UK’s relationship with the EU to a national referendum in 2017. Adding another note of
uncertainty to the British political landscape, Scotland plans to hold a referendum in September
2014 on whether to separate from the UK and become an independent country.
In recent years, some observers have suggested that the U.S.-UK relationship is losing relevance
due to changing U.S. foreign policy priorities and shifting global dynamics. An imbalance of
power in favor of the United States has occasionally led some British observers to call for a
reassessment of their country’s approach to the relationship. Despite such anxieties, most analysts
believe that the two countries will remain close allies that choose to cooperate on many important
global issues such as counterterrorism, the NATO mission in Afghanistan, efforts to curb Iran’s
nuclear activities, and global economic challenges.
Given its role as a close U.S. ally and partner, developments in the UK and its relations with the
United States are of continuing interest to the U.S. Congress.
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