Kathianne
07-28-2008, 01:23 AM
Interesting column, I never thought of this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/27/do2703.xml
Does Obama ever think of us?
By Nile Gardiner
Barack Obama's brief visit to London coincided with the opening of the new Batman film in British cinemas. How fitting...
...But let's consider the British national interest. When you push the spin and hype aside, there is scant evidence to suggest that an Obama presidency would actually strengthen the Anglo-American alliance, which has long been the engine of the free world. In fact, there is a risk it would be significantly weakened.
The special relationship was forged in the dark days of World War Two through the partnership between Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, and has been a dominant feature of US and British foreign policy ever since. It is embodied in the close-knit military and intelligence ties between the two nations, as well as the huge volume of mutual trade and investment.
The alliance reached its zenith in the 1980s with the leadership of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, a powerful partnership that successfully faced down the Soviet empire. After a period of decline it was successfully revived by George W Bush and Tony Blair in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Republican political elites in Washington still see the special relationship as critically important, a view shared by Senator McCain. In contrast, the Democrats have shown little affection for Britain in recent years, partly because of their love affair with continental Europe, but also due to Blair's unstinting support for Bush over the war in Iraq.
After meeting with Gordon Brown yesterday, Senator Obama briefly acknowledged the special relationship, but only after prompting by journalists. He has yet to show much affinity with Britain; we should be wary of taking yesterday's remarks at face value. In fact, his key foreign policy speeches have not mentioned Britain at all...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/27/do2703.xml
Does Obama ever think of us?
By Nile Gardiner
Barack Obama's brief visit to London coincided with the opening of the new Batman film in British cinemas. How fitting...
...But let's consider the British national interest. When you push the spin and hype aside, there is scant evidence to suggest that an Obama presidency would actually strengthen the Anglo-American alliance, which has long been the engine of the free world. In fact, there is a risk it would be significantly weakened.
The special relationship was forged in the dark days of World War Two through the partnership between Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, and has been a dominant feature of US and British foreign policy ever since. It is embodied in the close-knit military and intelligence ties between the two nations, as well as the huge volume of mutual trade and investment.
The alliance reached its zenith in the 1980s with the leadership of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, a powerful partnership that successfully faced down the Soviet empire. After a period of decline it was successfully revived by George W Bush and Tony Blair in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Republican political elites in Washington still see the special relationship as critically important, a view shared by Senator McCain. In contrast, the Democrats have shown little affection for Britain in recent years, partly because of their love affair with continental Europe, but also due to Blair's unstinting support for Bush over the war in Iraq.
After meeting with Gordon Brown yesterday, Senator Obama briefly acknowledged the special relationship, but only after prompting by journalists. He has yet to show much affinity with Britain; we should be wary of taking yesterday's remarks at face value. In fact, his key foreign policy speeches have not mentioned Britain at all...