159 central asia and the caucasus

The Global Component

I have already mentioned that the European component of the British-American alliance serves as

the backbone of the entire system of trans-Atlantic partnership, which ensures America’s military-polit-

ical presence in Europe through NATO. The indissoluble nature of this alliance is critically important for

trans-Atlantic partnership and for the larger American-European tandem.

We can even say that if the London-Washington link weakens for any reason, the entire system of

trans-Atlantic contacts will stagnate. This will bring global changes in its wake. There is the opinion that

the alliance’s possible strategic failures and drop in political prestige may cause weakening and a gradual

decline in the system of trans-Atlantic links and will cause another global shift and alter the balance of

power worldwide. The contradictions between the United States and its European NATO partners over

the Iraqi crisis brought into bolder relief London’s special value for Washington.

On the whole, an analysis of the post-Soviet political developments and the U.S. and British steps

on the world scene suggest that the alliance has moved to the frontline of policy-making. It initiated a

series of local wars (the Gulf War of 1991; the Kosovo conflict in 1999, and the wars in Afghanistan in

2002 and in Iraq in 2003). Even though they were waged under the aegis of the international coalition, the

main burden of political and military fighting (and the resultant shortcomings and dividends) was borne

by the U.S. and the U.K. To a certain extent this has ushered in a new era of joint British-American wars

and of global British-American domination. In other words, the global component of the alliance’s joint

policies is becoming an instrument the U.S. can use to shape global politics.

The tactics of knocking together a broad international coalition allows the alliance to secure wide

political support for its actions, isolate certain political regimes, and ensure military successes in the shortest

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