The alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom is and has been the linchpin of world peace and western defense for over a century. Joe Biden is threatening to end that “Special Relationship.”
The term “special relationship” was originally coined by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as early as 1944 to describe the close alliance and cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the U.S. State Department, “The United States has no closer ally than the United Kingdom, and British foreign policy emphasizes close coordination with the United States. Bilateral cooperation reflects the common language, ideals, and democratic practices of the two nations. Relations were strengthened by the United Kingdom’s alliance with the United States during both World Wars, in the Korean conflict, in the Persian Gulf War, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in Afghanistan, as well as through its role as a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The United Kingdom and the United States continually consult on foreign policy issues and global problems and share major foreign and security policy objectives.”
Many believe that Biden’s Irish background has prompted an anti-British attitude. Biden’s family originates from two Irish Counties, Mayo and Louth. He has frequently discussed his roots. Britain has been the occasional focus of his jokes. Yahoo News notes that, preceding a trip to England, “…his mother, Catherine Finnegan, hated the English so much that she told her son she would rather sleep on the floor than sleep in a bed where the monarch had slept.”
The latest manifestation of the President’s ill feelings towards the “Special Relationship” is his opposition to the appointment of Robert Ben Wallace a British politician and former soldier who has served as Britain’s Secretary of State for Defence since 2019, as the next Secretary-General of NATO.
Britons were critical of the manner in which Biden withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The U,K. had vigorously cooperated with America in its move to punish terrorists for its 911assault on the United States, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties.
At the time of Biden’s Afghanistan move, Wallace, was quoted in the British Guardian newspaper : “I’m absolutely worried that failed states are breeding grounds for those types of people. It’s why I felt this was not the right time or decision to make because al-Qaida will probably come back. “I think the deal that was done in Doha was a rotten deal. It effectively told a Taliban that wasn’t winning that they were winning, and it undermined the government of Afghanistan and now we’re in this position where the Taliban have clearly the momentum across the country. “The United States are leaving, we are leaving alongside them, and that leaves a very, very big problem on the ground developing with the Taliban, obviously with the momentum.
The latest manifestation of the President’s ill feelings towards the “Special Relationship” is his opposition to the appointment of Wallace as NATO’s new secretary general.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had sought Biden’s support for Wallace’s bid. The President admitted the candidate was “Very qualified.” Wallace has been instrumental in assisting the Ukraine in getting vital weapons to oppose Russia’s invasion. He has received key support from Poland and other of NATO’s eastern members. Biden chose to back two other candidates, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Denmark’s’ Metter Frederiksen.
The U.K.’s Daily Mail publication believes that Biden’s opposition arises from the fact that Wallace once served the British Army in Northern Ireland.
Biden’s proclivity to insert his personal and partisan goals into official statements has, according to his critics, violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of official powers to advance partisan political goals.
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