LONDON (AP) – Since Winston Churchill coined the phrase in the wake of World War II, politicians have praised the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Britain settles into mere functional relations between its previous colonies and its most important allies. As Trump threatens to slap tariffs on American neighbors, suggesting that Greenland could mature and that the US could “take over” Gaza, Kiel’s Prime Minister Stage, a new cross-distance era of turbulence They compete to strengthen their diplomatic and economic defenses.
“We’re just lying to anyone who claims to know what’s going on in hell,” said Professor Emeritus at the University of London and an expert on US-UK relations. Kathleen Burke said.
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High Stakes for the UK’s Washington Envoy
British officials say their priorities hope to visit Washington in the coming weeks, but he has not yet received an invitation from Trump.
In the meantime, there is a heavy burden on the new UK ambassador to Peter Mandelson in Washington. Mandelson is a towering figure in the Sterme Labour Party, who served in the governments of former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and Mandelson replaces veteran diplomat Karen Pierce, and is a Washington Democrat and Republican. It was widely respected by both.
It is rare for a politician, not a career civil servant, to be given the post of important British ambassadors. The former central left lawmakers are not clear envoys of the Trump administration. Mandelson once called Trump a “danger to the world.”
However, some analysts view Mandelson as Canny’s choice. The controversial figure who resigned twice from the government over allegations of financial or ethical fraud, like Trump, has bounced back repeatedly. His mastery of political plot gave him the nickname “The Prince of Darkness.”
Jill Lutter, a senior fellow at the Institute of Government Studies, said Mandelson was “substantial political talent” with economic expertise as an EU trade commissioner between 2004 and 2008.
“He is also very comfortable with very wealthy people,” Latter said. “He’s connected very well. He gives a very classy party.”
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In addition to its diplomatic influence, the UK will develop another important asset: the royal family. His mother was born on Isle of Lewis, a remote Scotland island, and Trump owns two Scottish golf courses and is a Royals fan. He praised the late Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted him at Buckingham Palace during his 2019 state visit, saying that he had a “great story” with Prince William when the two men met in December. I said that.
A return visit to the UK for Trump is likely to be filled with dignity and pageantry.
Stuck in the middle in the EU
It is perhaps even a long-running free trade agreement, some politicians in the UK’s political rights view Trump’s return as an opportunity for deeper UK trade relations.
Trade agreements began after the UK left the European Union in 2020, but after it was created on issues such as agriculture, the UK received strong opposition to importing chlorine linthic chicken or hormone-treated beef.
What’s even more complicated is the priorities over close trade with the EU as part of a “reset” with the bloc after years of criticism over Brexit. The UK, caught between the US and the EU, could face pressure to choose the side.
“The choice is certainly clear,” Conservative MP John Cooper said during a recent discussion in Congress. “Under President Trump, the American eagle is beginning to spread its wings. … Europe is declining and is growing hardenable amid political turmoil.”
But Leslie Vin Jamuri, director of the US and Americas program at the international affairs think tank Chatham House, said choosing Europe and America was a “silly proposal.” The United States is the UK’s largest personal trading partner, but half of UK trade comes with 27 EU members.
“They can’t choose,” Vinjamuri said. “After all, Europe, the US and the UK are together, so they have to find different ways of working together.”
Pressure on trade and defense
Trump has already put pressure on his longtime allies, announcing that he will impose tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and postponing them after receiving pledges from two counties to strengthen border security It has been announced that it will be done.
Trump suggests that the UK could escape similar tariffs. “I think I can solve it,” he said.
The UK is helped by the fact that the US sells more products to the UK, according to official US statistics. Rather than importing.
The UK is also facing pressure from Trump to increase defence spending. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and threatened not to defend alliance members who could not meet their defensive spending goals.
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The president has said that NATO countries should spend at least 5% of their revenue on defense, from their current 2% target. The UK has spent 2.3% of its GDP on defense and said it would increase that figure to 2.5%.
“It’s the defense budget that Americans pay attention to, because the UK began to lose leverage with the US when the Army and Navy began to fall in the 1970s,” Burke said.
Britain is one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters in the war with Russian invasion. Trump is a war that he wants to end on uncertain terms. Priorities and his officials hope to force Ukraine on the US government to not abandon Ukraine, or to support deals in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
British diplomats and spies are also trying to assess the significance of the new US government’s important information sharing. The UK and the US share the finest intelligence as members of the “Five Eyes” groups in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
British officials were somewhat relieved by the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an experienced politician and known amount. They have little concern and some concerns with FBI director Kash Patel candidates and Trump candidates with his pick to oversee Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard repeatedly reflects Russian propaganda used to justify the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, and has opposed important US surveillance programs in the past.
Expect something unexpected
It’s impossible to prepare for everything that will bring in the next four years.
Lutter said the minister and civil servants need to think about things they can’t think about. For example, what happens when regulations are severely cut and government machines start to fail in parts of the US?
“When should we warn people not to fly to the US because we no longer trust your aviation regulations?” she said.
Vinjamuri has tested the limits of the historical strength of Britain’s quiet diplomacy over the next few years, saying that he “works very practically under the headline and tries to get things done.”
“The challenge is that there are some known unknowns (as is) what will happen with regard to US support for security in Ukraine and Europe,” she said. “But we have a lot of unknowns and unknowns, and I think that’s going to be a much more tricky part.”
