28 March 2010

Global Security: UK-US relations

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee today (Sunday 28
March) publishes its report: Global Security: UK-US Relations, the first time the
Committee has looked specifically into the topic of relations between the United
Kingdom and the United States since 2001.

Chair of the Committee, Mike Gapes MP, says

“The UK needs to adopt a more hard-headed political approach towards our
relationship with the US with a realistic sense of our own limits and our national
interests.

“Certainly the UK must continue to position itself closely alongside the US but there
is a need to be less deferential and more willing to say no where our interests
diverge. In a sense, the UK foreign policy approach this Committee is advocating is
in many ways similar to the more pragmatic tone which President Obama has
adopted towards the UK.

“The UK and US have a close and valuable relationship not only in terms of
intelligence and security but also in terms of our profound and historic cultural and
trading links and commitment to freedom, democracy and the rule of law. But the
use of the phrase ‘the special relationship’ in its historical sense, to describe the
totality of the ever-evolving UK-US relationship, is potentially misleading, and we
recommend that its use should be avoided.

“Yes, we have a special relationship with the US, but we must remember that so too
do other countries including regional neighbours, strategic allies and partners. British
and European politicians have been guilty of over-optimism about the extent of
influence they have over the US. We must be realistic and accept that globalisation,
structural changes and shifts in geopolitical power will inevitably affect the UK-US
relationship. It is entirely logical for the US to pursue relationships with other
partners who can provide support that the UK cannot. Having said that, recent minor
disagreements between the UK and US do not threaten the relationship. Rather they
highlight a need for better understanding between our governments to maintain its
strength.

“It is likely that the extent of political influence which the UK has exercised on US
decision-making as a consequence of its military commitments is likely to diminish.
Over the longer-term the UK is unlikely to be able to influence the US to the extent it
has in the past.

“We must be mindful of the FCO’s high reputation in the US which is currently under
threat through unacceptable financial pressure from the Treasury. Having previously
shed fat and muscle, the FCO’s US network is now being forced to cut into bone. Any
additional cuts will diminish the FCO’s ability to exercise influence in the US and have
a knock-on effect on the UK’s global standing.”

The full title of the Report is “Global Security: UK-US Relations”. This is the Committee’s Sixth
Report of Session 2009-10 and is published as HC 114.

The Foreign Affairs Committee is responsible for scrutinising the “expenditure, administration
and policy” of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated public bodies. The
text of all Committee publications, including Reports, can be found on the Committee’s
website at www.parliament.uk/facom