Despite Cameron’s Successful Visit, Questions Linger Over Future of U.S.-U.K. Ties

On an official visit to the United States this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron focused his conversations with U.S. President Barack Obama on the war in Afghanistan as well as on efforts to address the crisis in Syria and heightened tensions with Iran. The leaders met to “reaffirm one of the greatest alliances the world has ever known,” Obama said Wednesday.

But some observers wonder whether the importance of what is known as the “special relationship” is beginning to fade.

“It is a special relationship,” said Frances G. Burwell, vice president of the Atlantic Council and director of its Program on Transatlantic Relations.* “But one starts deluding oneself to say that it is the special relationship. And we do have special relationships with other countries. This was obviously a very successful visit, but the question is whether it was more about past strength than the future strength of the partnership, and the jury is out on that.”

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