An authoritative, in-depth study on the character, legacy, and trajectory of the UK-US alliance
After the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, many observers declared the UK-US alliance—often dubbed ""the special relationship""—dead. Yet this was hardly the first time the partnership was read its last rites. Indeed, one of its defining characteristics is its resilience in the face of political volatility and geopolitical shifts.
Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations explains how the world's most consequential bilateral alliance endures despite countless crises. The book's contributors trace the roots of the US-UK alliance; analyse the institutionalized pillars of nuclear, military, and intelligence cooperation; and highlight underappreciated aspects of economic and defense-industrial interdependence. Drawing on archival research and interviews, the volume revisits lesser-known strategic flashpoints and reveals how twentieth-century crises tested the alliance without breaking its foundations.
Amid the US rebalance to the Indo-Pacific and Donald Trump's return to the White House, James and Kennedy provide an essential guide for understanding the character, legacy, and trajectory of the UK-US relationship.
Contributions by:
Greg Kennedy,
Suzanne Doyle,
Carson Teuscher
Edited by:
William D. James,
Greg Kennedy
Imprint: Georgetown University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 21mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781647126827
ISBN 10: 1647126827
Pages: 316
Publication Date: 03 March 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction: The Nature and Character of Anglo-American Strategic Relations, Greg Kennedy Part I: The Roots and Practice of Institutional Cooperation 1. The US-UK Nuclear Relationship in American Politics, Suzanne Doyle 2. Multinational Coalition Warfare and the Anglo-American Experiment in the Mediterranean, 1942–43, Carson Teuscher 3. BRUSA: Antecedents, Foundation, and Formative Conduct, 1940–43, C. J. Jenner 4. Anglo-American Clandestine Cooperation: The Past, Present, and Future of the Special Intelligence Relationship(s), Thomas Maguire and David V. Gioe 5. Anglo-American Military Relations Since the End of the Cold War, Wyn Rees Part II: Economic and Industrial Cooperation 6. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the International Financial System Since 1945, Michael F. Hopkins 7. Joint Strike Fighter and Transatlantic Defense Procurement, Emma Salisbury Part III: Crisis Points 8. The First World War and the Anglo-American Crisis of 1916, Andrew Gawthorpe 9. Loyalty, Inertia, and a High-Level Tiff: Anglo-American Relations in 1956, Gill Bennett 10. Jordan and Kuwait: US-UK Relations in the Aftermath of Suez, Louise Kettle 11. The Secret Weapon: Chevaline's Stealthy Legacy, Reja Younis 12. Divergent Decisions, Shared Vision: US-UK Relations and Strategic Choices Following the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Barbara Zanchetta 13. Wagging the Dog? Blair, Clinton, and the ""Special Relationship"" in the Kosovo Crisis, Jonathan Esty Conclusion: 1956 and All That: Is the Anglo-American Alliance Immune to Political Crises?, William D. James List of Contributors Index
William D. James is assistant professor of strategic studies in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is the author of British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony (2024). Greg Kennedy is professor of strategic foreign policy in the Defence Studies Department at King's College London, where he leads the Economic Conflict & Competition Research Group. He is the author of Anglo-American Strategic Relations and the Far East, 1933–1939 (2002) and more than ten other edited volumes on defense policy and strategy.
