This post is an off-topic asideHere is a recent article by The Sunday Telegraph. Sorry if the article seems a bit off-topic. It is about Prime Minister Brown's recent visit to Washington. The article deals with and the status of the myth of the Anglo-American "Special Relationship".
The article reveals that at best the Special Relationship so-oft touted by Thatcher and Regan was nothing more than an alliance of convenience. At worst, it was one of expeciency, an expediency that is now thru.
Here are a couple of quotes from the article concerning the Anglo-American "Special Relationship"
Concerning giving the British PM a formal reception:
"...the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister."
Concerning a formal exchange of gifts:
"...the mood music of the event was at times strained. Mr Brown handed over carefully selected gifts, including a pen holder made from the wood of a warship that helped stamp out the slave trade - a sister ship of the vessel from which timbers were taken to build Mr Obama's Oval Office desk. Mr Obama's gift in return, a collection of Hollywood film DVDs that could have been bought from any high street store, looked like the kind of thing the White House might hand out to the visiting head of a minor African state."
Concerning the supposed British-US Special Relationship, a State Department skokesman is quoted as saying "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."
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