US Ambassador explores the ‘special relationship’, past present and future

Published On Wed 31 Aug 2016 by Grant Hill

US Ambassador to the UK Matthew Barzun talked about the enduring nature of the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries and its vital importance in the future at a public lecture at the University of Dundee this evening

The event, held in conjunction with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, took place at the University’s Dalhousie Building. A packed auditorium heard Ambassador Barzun discuss “The ‘Special Relationship’ between the UK and the US – past, present and future” and answer questions from the audience about the relationship and the challenges facing both countries, individually and collectively.

The lecture took place to mark the 70^th anniversary of Winston Churchill coining the phrase ‘special relationship’ to describe the exceptionally close political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, military and historical relations between the United Kingdom and the United States.

At a time when many commentators have called into question the future of the relationship, Ambassador Barzun looked back at the past seven decades to demonstrate how individuals, communities and nations can build bridges.

Drawing on examples from joint work in international diplomacy between the US and UK, and his own experiences since being appointed to the role three years ago, the Ambassador then argued that the special relationship remained not only relevant but necessary if both countries are to address the world’s big challenges in the months and years to come.

"In the face of global trends and unexpected political shifts on both sides of the Atlantic, it is easy to see ourselves as powerless to affect the trajectory of our common life,” he said. “And yet the power to change in a democracy lies, as it always has, in ourselves.

“The people of the US and the UK have shown over generations that by listening to each other and working together in partnership, we can rise to meet our greatest challenges."

Speaking at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in March 1946, Churchill used the term ‘special relationship’ for the first time along with other phrases, including ‘sinews of peace’ and ‘iron curtain’, which he famously coined. Since then, the relationship with the US has been a cornerstone of UK foreign, trade and defence policy.

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