Two Thoughts on the "Special Relationship"
The special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is referenced twice in today's Financial Times. Both speak truths overlooked and taken for granted by people on both sides of the Atlantic.
The common language of English is one of those bonds. That an American movie can be received and understood in England as well as a BBC series like Downton Abbey is in America illustrates the point. Michael Skapinker points out that the Afrikaans language of the South African Dutch is far different from the ancestral language of the Netherlands. British rule in the land severed the ties and helped create an insular language shared today by no one outside the country. It seems that America and England reveled in forming a common understanding of the differences in expression while retaining a unifying appreciation for the power of English.
The second reference is to Great Britain's future within the EU. Prime Minister David Cameron is due to give a major speech outlining his governments position on the role the country will have with the changing European bloc. The lead editorial points out Britain's EU membership is a key feature of its "special relationship" with the United States, Even American officials acknowledge this fact. Britain is seen as an advocate for American economic interests in Brussels, something it does not wish to lose. The evolving economic crisis of the the last four years has affirmed the critical importance of open communication with the world's largest global market. The EU may be wounded but it is not out. No right-minded observer thinks this. Should Great Britain exit the EU it would rearrange the seats at the world's biggest table.
The "special relationship" between American and Great Britain goes deeper than most understand. It is rooted in a Biblical story of God's promises to Abraham and his descendants. It is not a coincidence of nature these two nations rose to become world powers speaking the same language. No fair minded historian thinks otherwise. It's a story you can understand by reading our Bible study aid booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. It is the missing dimension in world history.
