"Uneasy partnership: The special relationship and European unity in the 1960s"

Adamthwaite, Anthony. (2003) "Uneasy partnership: The special relationship and European unity in the 1960s". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 22, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

Anglo-American approaches to European unity in the 1960s resulted in the failure of two British EEC membership bids. The paper contends that Anglo-American strategy had a major responsibility for this outcome. After the Suez crisis of 1956, Britain did not carry out a long overdue review of the special relationship and external policy generally... As a result, the UK became too dependent on Washington and virtually disqualified itself from entry to the EEC. The United States in grand design strove misguidedly to created an overly dependent Europe. In particular, Washington's inept statecraft helped seal the fate of the British initiatives.