The Diplomacy of Pragmatism sets Britain's role in the formation of NATO, not in the context of orthodox, revisionist or post-revisionist approaches to the Cold War, but in terms of what has become known as "depolarization." This approach emphasizes the distinctive and leading roles of other countries, apart from the Soviet Union and the United States, in the early Cold War period. In focusing on Britain's role there is no attempt to be chauvinistic. The key role of other states in the formation of NATO is acknowledged. Britain certainly did not establish NATO single-handedly. Nor was British diplomacy wholly consistent or completely successful throughout ther period covered. Different strands of policy, focusing on the United States, Europe and a "Third Power" global role, struggled for pre-eminence. Foreign policy and global strategy were not always well-coordinated. Nevertheless, despite the failures, it is argued that Ernest Bevin, the British Foreign Secretary, made a decisive contribution to postwar diplomacy by his pragmatic and patient attempts to coordinate the policies of Western European states together with the United States and Canada. By 1949, a new system of European security had been developed in the context of rapidly changing domestic and international events. The author argues that, despite the differences, there are important lessons to be learned from postwar diplomacy by today's statesmen as they struggle to build another new European security system in the post-Cold War era.
This study of British defence policy argues that a "one-off" defence review is not enough but a regular process of defece reviews every five years provide a long-term strategic direction which, the author maintains, is lacking at present.
The relationship between Britain and America has been the most important bilateral relationship the world has ever seen. Dobson's concise and readable book covers the whole of this century and employs selected historical detail to expose the special relationship in its true light and in all its complexity. Dobson rejects tha claim that the US was ever hegemonical. Its realtionship with Britain - over the Suez Crisis and Iran in the 1960s and grenada in 1983 - clearly demonstrates that it had to bargain and did not always get its way. However, the two nations co-operated in every major crisis from the Great to the Gulf war, and together promoted liberal democracy and capitalism. The story reveals both more interdependence and conflict than has been recognised in the past. Nuclear, intelligence defence and other links betwen the USA and Britain continue to this day, but the importance of the `special relationship' has diminished for both countries. Have common interests disappeard to an extent that the scope for bilateral cooperation has diminished to insignificince ? It is in addressing this question that Dobson draws his conclusions. Coverning defence, economic, political and personal aspects of Anglo-US realtions, this book will be indispensible for students of twentieth century American and British history and international relations.
Middle East oil and Anglo-American special relations were among the most contentious issues during the Cold War. Oil is crucial to our understanding of Britain's and the USA's Cold War policies in the Middle East. This book presents an in-depth study of the issues of the period and the legacy of oil in the post Cold war era.
offers a timely, critical examination of Churchill’s contribution to establishing the Anglo-American special relationship in the cold war draws together some of the most established and best emergent scholars in the field will be of much interest to students of Anglo-American relations, Cold War History, foreign policy, international history and IR, in general