Donald Trump’s forthcoming presidency poses uncomfortable questions for Britain about the future of the UK-US ‘Special Relationship’. As Tim Oliver and Mike Williams argue in a new LSE IDEAS Strategic Update, that even the core elements of the relationship look set to be strained mean Britain is likely to find itself caught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Place

Oliver, Tim

Williams, Mike

LSE Research Online

1/16/2017In 2017 and beyond, the UK-US Special Relationship will becaught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Placeblogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2017/01/16/in-2017-and-beyond-the-uk-us-special-relationship-will-be-caught-between-a-trump-rock-and-a-brexit-hard-place/Donald Trump’s forthcoming presidency poses uncomfortable questions for Britain about the futureof the UK-US ‘Special Relationship’. As Tim Oliver and Mike Williams argue in a new LSE IDEASStrategic Update, that even the core elements of the relationship look set to be strained meanBritain is likely to ﬁnd itself caught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Place.Donald Trump’s victory has raised uncomfortable questions for Britain about the future of the UK-US‘Special Relationship’. As we argue in a new LSE IDEAS Strategic Update ‘Making the “SpecialRelationship” Great Again?’, despite similarities in Brexit and the politics of Trump’s rise, and theLazarus quality of the relationship to return to life after being pronounced dead, Trump presents aworldview and so many unknowns that even the core of the relationship could be strained as neverbefore. This hardly poses an ideal scenario in which a Britain exiting the EU can hope to moveforward in the world.Coming to terms with President Trump will not be easy for UK politics or for many of the USA’sallies, to say nothing of the 54 percent of US voters who supported other presidential candidates.Trump will be the fourth candidate and the second this century to win the presidency without winning the popularvote. He is also the ﬁrst to win despite having been repeatedly shown to be a liar, tax-avoider, race-baiter, sexualpredator, bankrupt, anti-intellectual, and who won the backing of the Ku Klux Klan and authoritarian governmentssuch as Russia and North Korea. He is far from an average US president-elect. Since his election some have takento hoping that his presidency will not be so bad, that he can be controlled both internationally and domestically, thateconomic and security arrangements and the norms that have developed over decades will hold. Yet Trump’selection is as a reminder that we should be prepared for the unexpected. This leads us to examine ﬁve questions.Trump’s WorldFirst, what will Trump’s politics and outlook on foreign aﬀairs entail? Contrary to popular belief, Trump does have aworldview. His campaign rhetoric, as well as before, illustrates a foreign policy ideology based on 19th century,sovereigntist principles. We should recall a German saying ‘Nichts wird so heiss gegessen, wie es gekocht wird ’(Nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked). Some in the Trump administration are not wedded to his worldview and willcheck him, as will many of the constraints – domestic and foreign – every president faces when it comes to foreignpolicy. However, it is likely that his administration’s instincts will tend to ‘oﬀshore balancing’. The US will remainglobally engaged, but will intervene only in cases aﬀecting a narrowly-deﬁned national interest and suchinterventions (and policy responses) will be the result of strict cost-beneﬁt analysis. That may sound no bad thing.But in doing so Trump may lack the subtly necessary to deliver a stable change, and could end up aligning the USless with a liberal world order and more with more sovereignty based system akin to the 19th century and one thatcoincides more closely with a Sino-Russian world view.Transatlantic Common Purpose? Second, do the similarities in support for Trump with the political trends in Britain and Europe such as those thatdrove Brexit form the basis for cooperation? Trump’s following drew on a mix of frustrations amongst a range ofgroups – but most notably the white working class – directed at globalisation, elite politics, austerity, fears aboutthreats to identities, and immigration. Similarities can be seen in Brexit and across Europe. Will the US and1/4European governments now ﬁnd a common purpose? Trump’s rhetoric points instead to a US determined to turninwards. Instead of ﬁnding common purpose, the two sides of the Atlantic may ﬁnd they drive themselves furtherapart. That would pose a quandary for a post-Brexit Britain and its leaders who campaigned for Britain to leave theEU so it could instead forge new global trading links. The US may seek a trade deal with a UK outside the EU; aposition that contrasts with Trump’s more protectionist stance. While he might leave an opening for the UK (albeitone where the US drives a hard bargain – for example over any UK-China trade relationship – because there are nospecial relationships in trade negotiations), his overall position could inﬂict much larger damage on the wider openglobal trading system that Britain remains a committed member of. Britain’s hopes of securing global trade dealsdepend on the rest of the world being open to such approaches. A Trump presidency would help push us all towardsa world that isn’t like that.Striking at the CoreThird, what could Trump mean for the core – intelligence, special forces and nuclear weapons – of the UK-USrelationship that is usually protected from the vagaries of presidential and prime ministerial politics? It is this corethat has formed the basis on which the UK and US have trusted each other in ways they don’t with others. This hashelped make the relationship something of the Lazarus of international relations; often declared dead due topersonal fallings out of disasters such as the Iraq War, only to soon come back to life. Yet this core could be testedto the limit by dealing with a President who is often erratic and appears willing to do and say anything when it comesto torture, bombing, nuclear proliferation, Muslims, mass deportation, and relations with authoritarian states such asRussia where he has appeared more willing to trust Vladimir Putin than the US intelligence agencies with which theUK cooperates more closely than any other state.Rocks and Hard PlacesFourth, where might that leave UK foreign policy, which since 1945 has balanced Britain between the USA andEurope? Does Britain remain close to the USA in the hope it can be a candid friend and by doing so help smooth –for the beneﬁt of Britain and other allies of the US and UK – what could be a highly unpredictable four (possiblyeight) years of a Trump presidency? Can Britain be such a counsel? The history of UK-US relations shows Britaindoes have inﬂuence, but that should not be exaggerated. Given Trump’s isolationist and protectionist outlook it alsoseems unlikely he would care that much about Britain’s eﬀorts. Britain could limit relations, but in doing so would2/4strike at the core of the relationship in ways we have never seen before. It would also deprive Britain of access toinformation and capabilities it and other European countries depend on. Given the perilous state of Europeandefence capabilities, the British government and others across the continent would be weary of making moves thatincrease the likelihood of US disengagement from NATO and Europe’s security.The bigger problem for Britain’s government is that Trump poses an added dilemma for Britain’s strategic outlook.The British people’s vote for Brexit highlighted a desire by some in the UK to play an enhanced global role, a rolethat would in part depend on cooperating with the USA. Yet in Trump the UK would ﬁnd itself stuck between a Trumprock and a Brexit hard place. Does this mean Britain would have to ﬁnd a third way between the US and Europe?Some may seek this and point to relations with other English-speaking nations such as Canada or Australia as waysforward. On their own, however, they are inadequate substitutes for the scale of existing political, economic, socialand security relations which root Britain ﬁrmly into a transatlantic community. If that community cannot function thenBritish foreign policy faces a bleak future.Knowing the Unknown PresidentFinally, given the attention often given to prime minister-president relations, what might a President Trump mean forPrime Minister May? For May, like many other world leaders, it will be a question of getting to know the unknowablePresident. There are some things we know – the ‘known knowns’ – but compared to any previous president much ofTrump’s worldview remains a mystery. There are a multitude of ‘known unknowns’ such as his business interests,tax aﬀairs or links with states such as Russia. As the most erratic – and thin-skinned and easily provoked –candidate ever elected to the White House, the biggest challenge for May and other world leaders will be dealingwith what he might say or do next. The ‘unknown unknowns’ of President Trump will make for an unpredictable andextremely diﬃcult presidency.Featured image credit: Nicolas Raymond (Flickr, CC-BY-2.0)Please read our comments policy before commenting .Note:  This article gives the views of the authors, and not the position of USAPP– American Politics and Policy, norof the London School of Economics. Shortened URL for this post: http://bit.ly/2jPUSg5_________________________________________About the authors Tim Oliver – LSE IDEASTim Oliver is a Dahrendorf Postdoctoral Fellow on Europe-North American relations at LSE IDEASand a Non-Resident Fellow at the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations. He has also worked atRAND, the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, LSE, UCL, theHouse of Lords and the European Parliament. Mike Williams – NYUMike Williams is Director of the International Relations Program at New York University. He is aterm member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on theArmed Forces and Senior Associate Scholar at the Center for European Policy Analysis inWashington DC. Previously, he was a Bosch Fellow in the German Ministry of Defense, a VisitingFellow at the University of Oxford, taught at Royal Holloway, University of London, and was a DAADFellow at the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Science.3/4CC BY-NC 3.0 2015 LSE USAPP4/4

In 2017 and beyond, the UK-US Special Relationship will be caught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Place

1/21/2017In 2017 and beyond, the UK-US Special Relationship will becaught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Placeblogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/58477-2/Donald Trump’s forthcoming presidency poses uncomfortable questions for Britain about the futureof the UK-US ‘Special Relationship’. As Tim Oliver and Mike Williams argue in a new LSE IDEASStrategic Update, that even the core elements of the relationship look set to be strained meanBritain is likely to find itself caught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Place.Donald Trump’s victory has raised uncomfortable questions for Britain about the future of the UK-US‘Special Relationship’. As we argue in a new LSE IDEAS Strategic Update ‘Making the “SpecialRelationship” Great Again?’, despite similarities in Brexit and the politics of Trump’s rise, and theLazarus quality of the relationship to return to life after being pronounced dead, Trump presents aworldview and so many unknowns that even the core of the relationship could be strained as neverbefore. This hardly poses an ideal scenario in which a Britain exiting the EU can hope to moveforward in the world.Coming to terms with President Trump will not be easy for UK politics or for many of the USA’sallies, to say nothing of the 54 percent of US voters who supported other presidential candidates.Trump will be the fourth candidate and the second this century to win the presidency without winning the popularvote. He is also the first to win despite having been repeatedly shown to be a liar, tax-avoider, race-baiter, sexualpredator, bankrupt, anti-intellectual, and who won the backing of the Ku Klux Klan and authoritarian governmentssuch as Russia and North Korea. He is far from an average US president-elect. Since his election some have takento hoping that his presidency will not be so bad, that he can be controlled both internationally and domestically, thateconomic and security arrangements and the norms that have developed over decades will hold. Yet Trump’selection is as a reminder that we should be prepared for the unexpected. This leads us to examine five questions.Trump’s WorldFirst, what will Trump’s politics and outlook on foreign affairs entail? Contrary to popular belief, Trump does have aworldview. His campaign rhetoric, as well as before, illustrates a foreign policy ideology based on 19th century,sovereigntist principles. We should recall a German saying ‘Nichts wird so heiss gegessen, wie es gekocht wird ’(Nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked). Some in the Trump administration are not wedded to his worldview and willcheck him, as will many of the constraints – domestic and foreign – every president faces when it comes to foreignpolicy. However, it is likely that his administration’s instincts will tend to ‘offshore balancing’. The US will remainglobally engaged, but will intervene only in cases affecting a narrowly-defined national interest and suchinterventions (and policy responses) will be the result of strict cost-benefit analysis. That may sound no bad thing.But in doing so Trump may lack the subtly necessary to deliver a stable change, and could end up aligning the USless with a liberal world order and more with more sovereignty based system akin to the 19th century and one thatcoincides more closely with a Sino-Russian world view.Transatlantic Common Purpose? Second, do the similarities in support for Trump with the political trends in Britain and Europe such as those thatdrove Brexit form the basis for cooperation? Trump’s following drew on a mix of frustrations amongst a range ofgroups – but most notably the white working class – directed at globalisation, elite politics, austerity, fears aboutthreats to identities, and immigration. Similarities can be seen in Brexit and across Europe. Will the US and1/3European governments now find a common purpose? Trump’s rhetoric points instead to a US determined to turninwards. Instead of finding common purpose, the two sides of the Atlantic may find they drive themselves furtherapart. That would pose a quandary for a post-Brexit Britain and its leaders who campaigned for Britain to leave theEU so it could instead forge new global trading links. The US may seek a trade deal with a UK outside the EU; aposition that contrasts with Trump’s more protectionist stance. While he might leave an opening for the UK (albeitone where the US drives a hard bargain – for example over any UK-China trade relationship – because there are nospecial relationships in trade negotiations), his overall position could inflict much larger damage on the wider openglobal trading system that Britain remains a committed member of. Britain’s hopes of securing global trade dealsdepend on the rest of the world being open to such approaches. A Trump presidency would help push us all towardsa world that isn’t like that.Striking at the CoreThird, what could Trump mean for the core – intelligence, special forces and nuclear weapons – of the UK-USrelationship that is usually protected from the vagaries of presidential and prime ministerial politics? It is this corethat has formed the basis on which the UK and US have trusted each other in ways they don’t with others. This hashelped make the relationship something of the Lazarus of international relations; often declared dead due topersonal fallings out of disasters such as the Iraq War, only to soon come back to life. Yet this core could be tested tothe limit by dealing with a President who is often erratic and appears willing to do and say anything when it comes totorture, bombing, nuclear proliferation, Muslims, mass deportation, and relations with authoritarian states such asRussia where he has appeared more willing to trust Vladimir Putin than the US intelligence agencies with which theUK cooperates more closely than any other state.Rocks and Hard PlacesFourth, where might that leave UK foreign policy, which since 1945 has balanced Britain between the USA andEurope? Does Britain remain close to the USA in the hope it can be a candid friend and by doing so help smooth –for the benefit of Britain and other allies of the US and UK – what could be a highly unpredictable four (possiblyeight) years of a Trump presidency? Can Britain be such a counsel? The history of UK-US relations shows Britaindoes have influence, but that should not be exaggerated. Given Trump’s isolationist and protectionist outlook it alsoseems unlikely he would care that much about Britain’s efforts. Britain could limit relations, but in doing so wouldstrike at the core of the relationship in ways we have never seen before. It would also deprive Britain of access to2/3information and capabilities it and other European countries depend on. Given the perilous state of Europeandefence capabilities, the British government and others across the continent would be weary of making moves thatincrease the likelihood of US disengagement from NATO and Europe’s security.The bigger problem for Britain’s government is that Trump poses an added dilemma for Britain’s strategic outlook.The British people’s vote for Brexit highlighted a desire by some in the UK to play an enhanced global role, a rolethat would in part depend on cooperating with the USA. Yet in Trump the UK would find itself stuck between a Trumprock and a Brexit hard place. Does this mean Britain would have to find a third way between the US and Europe?Some may seek this and point to relations with other English-speaking nations such as Canada or Australia as waysforward. On their own, however, they are inadequate substitutes for the scale of existing political, economic, socialand security relations which root Britain firmly into a transatlantic community. If that community cannot function thenBritish foreign policy faces a bleak future.Knowing the Unknown PresidentFinally, given the attention often given to prime minister-president relations, what might a President Trump mean forPrime Minister May? For May, like many other world leaders, it will be a question of getting to know the unknowablePresident. There are some things we know – the ‘known knowns’ – but compared to any previous president much ofTrump’s worldview remains a mystery. There are a multitude of ‘known unknowns’ such as his business interests,tax affairs or links with states such as Russia. As the most erratic – and thin-skinned and easily provoked –candidate ever elected to the White House, the biggest challenge for May and other world leaders will be dealingwith what he might say or do next. The ‘unknown unknowns’ of President Trump will make for an unpredictable andextremely difficult presidency.Featured image credit: Nicolas Raymond (Flickr, CC-BY-2.0)Note:  This article originally appeared on our sister blog, the LSE USAPP blog.About the Authors:Tim Oliver – LSE IDEASTim Oliver is a Dahrendorf Postdoctoral Fellow on Europe-North American relations at LSE IDEASand a Non-Resident Fellow at the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations. He has also worked atRAND, the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, LSE, UCL, theHouse of Lords and the European Parliament. Mike Williams – NYUMike Williams is Director of the International Relations Program at New York University. He is aterm member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on theArmed Forces and Senior Associate Scholar at the Center for European Policy Analysis inWashington DC. Previously, he was a Bosch Fellow in the German Ministry of Defense, a VisitingFellow at the University of Oxford, taught at Royal Holloway, University of London, and was a DAADFellow at the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Science. 3/3

In 2017 and beyond, the UK-US Special Relationship will be caught between a Trump Rock and a Brexit Hard Place

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