BRITAIN AND AMERICA'S 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP'.

Old World, New World: The Story of Britain and America. Kathleen Burk. Little, Brown. [pounds sterling]25.00. xviii + 830 pages. ISBN 978-0-316-86166-3.

Kathleen Burk has produced a wide-ranging, elegantly-written and engaging introduction to the vaunted 'special' relationship between Britain and America. Her explorations reach from the early days of British colonisation in North America to the present, and she displays a remarkable grasp of the cultural as well as the economic and political dimensions of the relationship. By the late eighteenth century the North American continent contained large stretches of British territory. Britain was of course defeated in the War of Independence, but the United States was still inescapably an offshoot of the British imperial system however much American leaders might like to deny the fact. In the nineteenth century, US industrial and financial power increased relative to that of the British, although educated Americans looked mainly to their English-speaking cousins for cultural enrichment. By around 1900 Britain felt the need to strengthen its international position by appeasing the United States in relation to outstanding issues such as rivalries over Latin America. American entry into the First World War in 1917 was rather late so far as the British were concerned, and the United States tried to remain aloof from the Allies, with their secret diplomacy and balance of power politics. All the same, the American contribution to the war was decisive, and the enduring lesson in London was the exploitation of American strength.

War loans to Britain and France meant by 1918 the United States had become a financial powerhouse, but policymakers in Washington lacked 'the sustained will to power' and retreated into political isolationism. With the onset of the Second World War, it was Winston Churchill's overriding aim to bring American power to bear once again in Britain's favour. American assistance proved vital to Britain's survival, but the country was left almost bankrupt and dependent on American largesse. For its part the United States wielded unprecedented military and economic might and took upon itself the main burden of waging Cold War against communism. As the junior ally, the British tried to exploit their Empire, along with military and nuclear power, intelligence capabilities, and diplomatic skills to shape American policies, but Washington tended to listen only when Britain's help was needed. The post-war era also saw the United States exert much more cultural influence on Britain than vice-versa.

Despite the disparity of power, the relationship between London and Washington was, and is. in many ways an unusually close one. The two countries have shared ideals and interests, as demonstrated in the collaboration in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Kathleen Burk, there remains 'a true love-hate Anglo-American special relationship'. Her book is highly recommended as a compelling and comprehensive introduction to one of the most important international partnerships in history.