Of Special Relationships, Imaginary And Real

The United States has precisely one “special relationship”. That relationship is with Saudi Arabia. It is not “anti-American” to say this. It is just realistic.

There is no such relationship with Israel, however much American public opinion might want such a thing (if it really does). Just as it no doubt would not want such a relationship with Saudi Arabia, who cares? Public opinion can want, or not want, whatever it likes. But elite opinion is simply not interested.

Add to this age-old fact of life the emergence in America, even more than before, of a sort of Venetian oligarchy, with the serious proposal that the Presidency should be held by the members of only two families for at least 24 or even 28 years. And then who? Jeb Bush? Chelsea Clinton? All in all, who cares what the little people think?

And there is certainly no “special relationship” with Britain, which, along with another allegedly close friend (the Irish Republic), has been bullied into accepting, in our case even into government, people who believe the Provisional Army Council of the IRA to be the sovereign body throughout Ireland.

Britain and Australia both need to ask which side we would be on if the much more fraught and strained relations between the United States and Canada or New Zealand, with which we share a Head of State and far more in the way of blood ties, and which fought alongside us in both World Wars from the very start of each, ever really came to a head, even if not militarily. And we need to include even the military dimension in that consideration when thinking about our kith and kin in the Caribbean, and possibly also in the Pacific.

So, which side would it be? Which side should it be? And why?