Crs Report for Congress The United Kingdom

Many U.S. officials and Members of Congress view the United Kingdom as Washington's staunchest and most reliable ally. This perception stems from a combination of factors: a shared sense of history and culture; the extensive bilateral cooperation on a wide range of foreign policy, defense, and intelligence issues that has developed over the course of many decades; and more recently, from the UK's strong support in countering terrorism and confronting Iraq. The United States and Britain also share a mutually beneficial trade and economic relationship, and are each other's biggest foreign direct investors. Nevertheless, some policymakers and analysts on both sides of the Atlantic question how "special" the "special relationship" is between Washington and London. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair -- who stepped down on June 27, 2007 -- sought to build a good rapport with the Bush Administration to both maximize British influence on the global stage, and to strengthen the UK as the indispensable "bridge" between the United States and Europe. But many British critics charged that Blair received little in return for his strong support of controversial U.S. policies. Some suggest that new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown may be less likely to allow the United ...