The state visit of President Donald and First Lady Melania Trump to Britain was undeniably a success.
The U.S. leader can be temperamental and demanding, but Trump was positive throughout the visit. Indeed, by the end, he was effusive in his personal praise of King Charles, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others.
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By now, every national leader on the planet must be fully aware that successfully dealing with Trump involves prominent public recognition of his importance. The British stand out in their ability to orchestrate pomp, ceremony and diplomatic success with finesse, subtlety and style.
After all, they have been at this for more than 500 years, all the while preserving national security and building, then freeing, a global colonial empire.
The visit reconfirmed the close relationship between our two nations.
This “special relationship” was initially formalized and announced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the darkest days of World War II. The two leaders met on navy vessels off the Coast of Newfoundland in August 1941. Churchill returned to meet with Roosevelt in the White House and address a joint session of Congress in December of that year, shortly after Pearl Harbor.
The first of these historic meetings resulted in the Atlantic Charter, defining broad positive human goals of freedom and basic economic security. A follow-up session resulted in commitment to the concept of the United Nations, which moving forward confirmed Allied goals in World War II.
Prime Minister Tony Blair paid a high political price for his faithful support of the administration of George W. Bush in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet Blair survived politically, leading his Labour Party to another general election victory. More importantly, the Anglo-American military alliance, and the durable wider NATO structure, were never really seriously threatened.
During the mid-1960s, the Johnson administration pressed extremely hard for at least token direct military participation in the Vietnam War. Australia and New Zealand, both members of the British Commonwealth, did provide forces. In the case of Australia, there was considerably more than a token commitment.
Britain remained out of that war, for understandable reasons. In hindsight, this lack of support by our close ally was an early indication of the questionable nature of the American engagement.
The most serious Anglo-American and wider Atlantic alliance crisis was over the Suez Canal in 1956. Britain, France and Israel launched a coordinated surprise military attack to retake the waterway and associated territory, from Egypt’s nationalist government.
President Dwight Eisenhower strongly opposed the adventure, angrily offended by the absence of consultation — this was 1956, not 1856. He forced an immediate halt.
Economics strengthens alliance cooperation. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s deregulation of the economy in the 1980s pays powerful dividends today.
Canary Wharf, formerly grim docks and working-class housing blocks in eastern London, has been transformed into a mammoth global commercial center. Massive modern skyscrapers dominate the horizon, complemented by retail stores.
For the Trump visit, the British showcased the announcement of a major new investment deal.
Today, developments in various areas work to strengthen further the Anglo-American partnership. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reenergized the NATO alliance, in which Britain initially played a crucial role in joining North America to Western Europe. Cyber and other high-tech along with human intelligence reinforce close, historically-rooted military security ties.
McGeorge Bundy, President John Kennedy’s national security adviser, summed up the Anglo-American partnership as “someone to talk to.” The conversation continues, fortunately.
Arthur I. Cyr is the author of “After the Cold War.”
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