Churchill's Special Relationship 2020 PDF

In large part, Churchill’s awareness of the “special relationship” that existed between English- speaking peoples came from his own multicultural background. While his family, on the paternal side, came from the illustrious English aristocratic background of the Marlboroughs (J.B. Priestley consider...

In large part, Churchill’s awareness of the “special relationship” that existed between English- speaking peoples came from his own multicultural background. While his family, on the paternal side, came from the illustrious English aristocratic background of the Marlboroughs (J.B. Priestley considers that John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough was “incomparable, the greatest [soldier] England has known ), his mother – Jennie Jerome was born in Brooklyn, 281 New York. Some authors even ascribe Native American ancestry to Churchill’s family. 282 Legend would have it that Jennie’s grandmother on the maternal side was one Anna Baker – an Iroquois Indian. Churchill himself, a romantic at heart, is believed to have given credence to this urban legend. The case being, Churchill’s upper-class English upbringing and style 283 was balanced with characteristic American traits. J.B. Priestley refers to his being responsive to the new, the untried, or the gamble that might pay off. He similarly refers to Churchill’s contempt for “what was routine, conformist, safely mediocre”. Even Churchill’s manner of 284 speech may be ascribed to American origins. He spoke with a gusto and brashness that annoyed – or amused – the more genteel English political aristocracy. He drew on emotions and shared them with the whole nation – to the point of letting tears run down his cheeks when delivering speeches in the House of Commons or sobbing with families in Blitz-torn London. Unarguably, Churchill had a common touch. §4. The “Special Relationship” – 2020 A. The Common Law What the USA and the U.K. share is the common law. Dark blue = pure system of common law Light blue = influenced by CL, mixed systems 281 J.B. Priestley, The English, op. cit., at 72. Winston Churchill’s father – Lord Randolph Churchill – was Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Salisbury and leader of the House of Commons after the general election of 1886. A brilliant yet unstable politician, Lord Randolph Churchill could have aspired to become Prime Minister. He died young, in 1895, aged forty-six. 282 See Ralph G. Martin, Jennie : The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill. Volume 1 : The Romantic Years 1854-1895 (New York: Prentice Hall, 1971). 283 See website of the Churchill Centre at : http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=103 (visited April 29, 2009). 284 J.B. Priestley, The English, op. cit., at 92. 103 a). Transport The common law was developed in a very centralized (feudal) society (Britain) so how was common law transported in a very big country as the USA? Is the CL appropriated for a vast country? CL appeared as inappropriate for the USA because CL is an archaic procedure requiring experiences legal technicians. → CL is made for small territories Weak control of metropolis (metropolis = London), of British countries Certain degree of resentment and hostility towards London (so the colonial power). Colonies want to get rid of their "colonisator" (// Lumumba with Congo). CL was seen as the last remnant of colonial dependence. Countries don’t want anything to do with England. 9 b). Adoption Common history, language. According to Roscoe Pound, the law in the United States was shaped by ignorance. Some states wanted to prohibit any reference to the English precedents. But CL was adopted because it was seen as protecting civil liberties against absolutism and pragmatism. At the end of the day, the CL took hold: common language and common conservative philosophy. c). Adaptation After the adoption, CL had to be adapted. So, there emerged substantive differences: constitutional law, family law, labor law, etc. But, still three major similarities: Judicial precedent: as a prime factor of development of CL The rule of law: number of different concepts that are similar as the right to remain silent, separation of powers, presumption of innocence (developed supra). Adversarial nature of proceeding: >< Belgium: judges lead the investigation, in CL countries, it's the attorney that lead it B. Economic Relations to see Relations deeply rooted in history but occasionally, a bumpy ride: see Gulf of Mexico (BP crisis) in 2010: rig explosion => payment of penalties what does BP mean? Brexit: USA is readjusting its policies towards the EU. Obama about Brexit = “you'll be in the back of the line". Britain won’t have the same presence and influence. C. Diplomatic and Security Relations 104  = nuclear weapon system Both countries share the nuclear deterrent. Both countries are engaged in numerous defense contracts and intelligence cooperation, not to mention common commitment on many issues voir c qui (Saddam Hussein). Noteworthy however are recent US concerns about UK cutbacks in defense spending 11 cutback: an amount of money by which a budget is reduced Conclusions The special relationship must take account of Britain’s postcolonial quest, respective geo- strategic and economic interests, as well as the personal affinities that bind their leaders. FDR + Winston Churchill ➔ common cause, great friends, same background, same interests, … Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher ➔common cause of the Cold War (got along very well). George W. Bush and Tony Blair ➔ agreed on the invasion of Iraq Barack Obama and the Tories ➔ not the best meeting of minds. Obama considered that they had a “special relationship”, but Britain was not expected to get special privileges. The UK was no more important than other allies. Britain felt insulted after when Obama said the U.K. would “back of the queue", when it came to negotiating a trade deal if Britain decided to leave the EU. Donald Trump and Theresa May + Boris Johnson ➔ pursuit of strong diplomatic ties but dismay of U.K. Ambassador to the USA (Kim Darroch) and very awkward interference by Trump in domestic affairs (in favor of Brexit, critical of Theresa May, Meghan Markle, Huawei ….). Violent statements from Trump made in 2017 and 2020…. According to senior retired diplomats and Conservative foreign policy specialists, the UK’s special relationship with the US was expected to end if Donald Trump won a second term. This would prove to be a daunting challenge for the UK’s national security infrastructure. In the words of one expert, “Almost since Suez, [the US has] been our default”. The election of285 Joe Biden was not viewed to offer greater reassurance to the special relationship: “Biden might – like Barack Obama – see Europe and particularly Germany as his primary interlocutor: ‘If you get a Joe Biden presidency in the US, then the relationship will focus again on Europe, on Germany and France, and we may feel a little neglected”. 286 285 Patrick Wintour, “UK diplomats fear end of special relationship if Trump re-elected”, The Guardian, June 8, 2020, Internet available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/08/uk-diplomats-fear- end-of-special-relationship-if-trump-re-elected (accessed June 8, 2020). 286 Ibid. 105