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  • Americans and Brits both speak English, but when it comes to language, we still have our differences.

  • Like the beautiful game of football.

  • No, it's definitely soccer.

  • But do you like my sneakers?

  • You mean trainers.

  • But there is one phrase that we do have in common.

  • And we've heard it over and over.

  • Special relationship.

  • Extraordinarily special relationship.

  • Special relationship.

  • Special relationship.

  • The phrase has been used by leaders from our two countries

  • for more than 70 years to reinforce diplomatic ties.

  • But what does it really mean?

  • The term special relationship was officially coined by Winston Churchill in 1946

  • following the allied victory over Nazi Germany.

  • Churchill said the U.K. and the U.S. were each other's biggest allies,

  • not least because they shared the same language.

  • The phrase reinforced common cultural, political and economic ties between the two countries

  • as they faced the growing threat of communism.

  • And many of those ties still exist today.

  • When it comes to foreign investment, the U.K. and the U.S. pour more money

  • into each other's economies than any other country in the world.

  • And they share a workforce, too.

  • More than 1.1 million Americans work for British companies in the U.S.

  • and nearly 1.4 million Britons are directly employed by U.S. affiliates.

  • Now we know relations between our two countries haven't always been perfect.

  • Let's not forget the whole reason we became the United States.

  • Come on Elizabeth, that was nearly 300 years ago. Let's move on.

  • Alright, alright. Let's go back to the 1940s.

  • Close ties between the U.S. and the U.K. helped lay the groundwork for the creation of NATO,

  • an alliance between several countries that wanted protection

  • from the Soviet Union's growing sphere of influence.

  • Intelligence sharing during this time also became a bond that tied the U.S. and U.K. together.

  • The countries established the UKUSA Agreement,

  • an alliance that allowed them to share highly-classified information.

  • The agreement still exists today.

  • During the Cold War however the special relationship was not without its own hiccups.

  • In 1956, the relationship hit a rocky patch during the Suez crisis

  • when British prime minister Anthony Eden was pressured by U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower

  • into withdrawing the U.K.'s military operation in Egypt.

  • Was it likely to endanger widespread British and international interests?

  • It was.

  • One thing that became clear?

  • The U.S. was the dominant partner in the relationship.

  • Just look at the size of their economies.

  • In the U.S. GDP is over $19 trillion, while in the U.K. it's around $2.5 trillion.

  • And the U.K. relies on the U.S. as its most important trading partner.

  • It exports $130 billion worth of goods to the U.S.

  • That's more than double what it sends to Germany, its second-biggest trading partner.

  • So why does the U.S. even need a special relationship with a smaller economy like the U.K., Tom?

  • Well Elizabeth, good relationships aren't just about money.

  • Really?

  • Think of the military and diplomatic ties,

  • not to mention the cultural collaborations between our two nations.

  • I mean, what about Taylor and Burton, remember them?

  • No, not exactly, but I do remember Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

  • And then there's Maggie and Ron.

  • Margaret Thatcher met her ideological soulmate in Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.

  • They oversaw the end of the Cold War and

  • a joint commitment to free markets, capitalism and small government.

  • When it comes to military action, the U.K. and U.S. have followed one another into conflicts around the world.

  • After 9/11 Tony Blair got behind George W. Bush and Britain joined the U.S. in the Iraq War

  • despite opposition at home.

  • And Barack Obama went the extra mile for David Cameron by publicly backing his anti-Brexit position.

  • The U.K. is going to be in the back of the queue.

  • We now know how that turned out.

  • Which leaves us with Theresa May and Donald Trump.

  • So far it's been love/hate between these two.

  • They were cozy at the White House after President Trump's election.

  • But since then President Trump has gone after the Prime Minister on Twitter,

  • even canceling a scheduled visit here to London, citing the cost and his dislike of the new U.S. embassy.

  • By playing hard to get the President could be trying to fulfil hisAmerica Firstagenda.

  • But with Britain's post-Brexit future still unclear, the special relationship could be more important than ever.

  • Hey guys.

  • Tom and Elizabeth here, thanks for watching.

  • Be sure to check out more of our videos over here.

  • And don't forget to subscribe.

  • See you later!

Americans and Brits both speak English, but when it comes to language, we still have our differences.

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什麼是特殊關係?| CNBC解讀 (What is the special relationship? | CNBC Explains)

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    kstmasa 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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