159 central asia and the caucasus

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CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS

No. 2(26), 2004

and independence—an important consideration in the context of European history of the 20th century.

The alliance guarantees that certain tragic pages of history will never repeat themselves.

With the expansion of NATO and the EU, the United States and the British-American alliance will

also broaden the zone of their active political control. The United States is using the alliance to put pres-

sure on the European allies (the U.S.-German strategic relationships should be mentioned in this con-

text). The White House can flexibly influence the decisions passed by the EU so as to channel its policies

in the desired direction.

The U.S. political elite regards its relations with the U.K. as an absolute priority. In the context of

the relationships between the U.S. and Europe, the following aspect of the British-American partnership

stands apart: London wants to act as an intermediary between Washington and the European capitals. It

seems that this role of “honest broker” is another fundamental element of the alliance’s European compo-

nent. It adds to London’s strategic importance for American diplomacy and to London’s weight and pres-

tige on the European and global scene. The statements made by administration members and congress-

men testify that there is no more active and strong supporter of American policies and no better interme-

diary than London.

Disregarding the European capitals’ strong discontent, London supported the American plans to

deploy the national ABM system. Prime Minister Blair’s visit to the United States late in March 2003,

during which the sides discussed the relations between the U.S. and Old Europe (France and Germa-

ny), aggravated by contradictions over the Iraqi crisis, is one of the most recent examples of British

brokerage.

It seems that in the future too the United States will look at its relations with Great Britain as a pri-

ority in the context of American global and European policies and strategy. Indeed, stronger positions of

France and Germany, and Europe in general, in global and European policies make London an even more

precious strategic partner. The contradictions around Iraq demonstrated that as a member of extending

NATO and the EU, Great Britain would gain more clout in the eyes of the United States as an “honest

broker” and partner.