Roger’s Rules

November 12th, 2009 5:13 am

Strengthening the Special Relationship

There are two planks to Obama’s foreign policy. One is the presumption that America is in the wrong. Hence Obama’s habit, as he travels around the world, of apologizing for America. The whole idea of “American exceptionalism,” he has explained, is wrong. If America is “exceptional,” it is only in the sense that every nation is exceptional — i.e., it is not exceptional at all.

The other plank of Obama’s foreign policy revolves around America’s “special relationship” with Britain. The phrase was coined by Winston Churchill in his famous “Sinews of Peace” speech in Fulton, Missouri, in 1946. (It was the same speech in which he foresaw an “iron curtain” descending over Eastern Europe.) For Barack Obama, however, there is no special relationship with Britain. Hence it is not surprising that one of his first acts as President of the United States was to pack up the bust of Winston Churchill that had enjoyed an honored place in the White House and send it back home to the Brits. Just in case they didn’t take the hint, he has repeatedly snubbed Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Fortunately, Obama’s policy of reflexive anti-Americanism and repudiation of a country with which we have the strongest social, moral, and political filiation is not going unchallenged. One of the bright spots on the current international scene is The Atlantic Bridge. Founded in the late 1990s with Margaret Thatcher as its honorary patron, the Atlantic Bridge is devoted to “strengthening the special relationship” between the U.S. and Great Britain. In 2007, Rudolph Guiliani delivered the inaugural Margaret Thatcher Lecture hosted by the Atlantic Bridge.

This year, in London, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivered delivered the Thatcher lecture and was awarded the Atlantic Bridge’s Medal of Freedom by Baroness Thatcher for “tireless dedication to academia, public service, and peace.” It was a moving event: despite her age and ailments, Margaret Thatcher radiated serene confidence and Dr. Kissinger delivered an inspiring if melancholy talk. He underscored the importance, to the world as well as to both countries, of the special relationship between Britain and America. He also underscored the importance of strong leadership: a talent expertly deployed by Margaret Thatcher but in short supply in Washington these days. The event took place on November 10, a day after the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That world historical event was seen by many as a harbinger of a coming reign of peace and international comity. It hasn’t worked out that way, of course. Indeed, the world is a far more dangerous place now than in 1989. Henry Kissinger reminded us of what is at stake in the relationship between America and Great Britain. In the end, it is nothing less than the future of political liberty. The Atlantic Bridge is an important curator of that liberty. It is registered as a charity on both sides of the Atlantic. I hope you will consider making a donation to help it pursue its mission.

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9 Comments

1. Harris Tweed:

We now live in a post-white male world; and the Obama media are working hard to make sure everyone gets the message.

According to what passes for logic in such a world, we cannot have a special relation with Great Britain.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:17 am 2. biblio44:

1. Harris Tweed: “We now live in a post-white male world; and the Obama media are working hard to make sure everyone gets the message.”

Finally, someone who knows what RK is really talking about!

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:59 am 3. gaetano catelli:

i think America should have a special relationship with Indonesia instead of Britain. the only things we have gotten from Britain are democracy, the rule of law, and the world’s richest, most versatile language. those are only exceptional in the sense that San Marino thinks its Crossbow Corps is exceptional.

by contrast, Indonesia gave as Barry Sotero, the most powerful writer since Emily Dickenson.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:33 pm 4. Dan:

And nearly all the Democrats part support the creep. We’d probably be better off under some foreign conqueror who had at least the sense to preserve the economy and society to serve its purposes, even under, say, Islamic dhimmi rule. It still seems incomprehensible to me that the American electorate is so utterly, and probably irredeemably, ignorant it could elect a man determined to destroy their faith, culture, heritage, economy, etc., and enslave their children.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:16 pm 5. Harris Tweed:

But Dan, don’t ya’ see? The election of El Presidente Obama was “historical” and of “global” significance. Nothing else really matters.

Nov 13, 2009 - 6:39 am 6. gaetano catelli:

“the American electorate is so utterly, and probably irredeemably, ignorant …”

some of the peoples of the world are always bragging about how smart they are. we Americans are more likely to brag about how dumb we are — sort of a yin-yang thing.

if you look at our 230 years of history, and compare it with theirs, a pattern emerges.

Nov 13, 2009 - 7:08 am 7. Mark:

In this vein, I would highly recommend the excellent “American in the World” blog (http://americaintheworld.typepad.com/), founded by The London Centre for the Study of Anti-Americanism. It’s a great venue for discussion of the aspiration to maintain the Special Relationship, even in the face of withering anti-American sentiment in Britain.

Nov 13, 2009 - 12:02 pm 8. Soda Jerk:

THE DOGS OF WAR (or) THE SINEWS OF PEACE
—————————————

Like Xristopher Colombus, who is now denigrated, derided and even condemned in academia simply because he vanquished barbaric “civilizations” in the Americas, Sir Winston Churchill is looked askance by the same crowd simply because he smoked.

Yet his “Sinews of Peace” speech is a masterpiece of English rhetoric and delivery, which means most contemporary Americans and Brits would find it too difficult to comprehend (given the flea-like attention span and limited vocabulary of most “readers”).

Here is the full “special relationship” quote:

“Neither the sure prevention of war, nor the continuous rise of world organization will be gained without what I have called the fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples. This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States. ”

(British Commonwealth and Empire, eh? Tsk tsk)

For me, the most remarkable aspect of this triumphant and eloquent address is how readily it lends itself to the modern world. It could easily be delivered today, mutatis mutandi, with full applicability.

He even uses the word “compute”(verb) and “accountability” (noun) in it (!!) [but not "transparent" (adjective)]

The full text (and audio) of this speech can be found at:

http://www.hpol.org/churchill/

It really is worth reading in its entirety.

Nov 14, 2009 - 6:07 am 9. gaetano catelli:

ref: “http://www.hpol.org/churchill/
It really is worth reading in its entirety.”

the streaming audio makes a pretty good ‘listen’, as well.

Nov 16, 2009 - 9:50 am