00:00President Donald Trump's recent comments on
00:05actions have reopened questions about Britain's security and its relationship within
00:10the United States. While the UK has long relied on close ties with Washington,
00:15critics say Trump's approach to allies has made that partnership feel far less
00:20predictable.
00:21If we go back to the Second World War, where America really
00:25came into its own and they sort of came to our aid, of course I know it happened in
00:28the First World War also, but particularly
00:30the Second World War, when we were under the threat of the Nazis and an invasion.
00:35We bravely fought them off, but of course, how long we could have held out, who knows.
00:40Americans came into the war and the rest, as they say, is history and we've had the North
00:45Atlantic.
00:45The United States Treaty Alliance, NATO, as of course it's known.
00:49So...
00:50We have grown up in a period where we look to America to assist us in every way.
00:55shape or form.
00:56And indeed, let's face it, there is that sort of thing about America.
00:59It's a sort of...
01:00As I think Churchill sort of said, a common language separated by culture.
01:04But nonetheless...
01:05There is no doubt that, of course, that we have this very particular bond, which of
01:10course...
01:10we've never really had with Europe because of language...
01:15reasons and a whole host of other sort of things.
01:17And of course, we know what that has taken us to a sort of vote to...
01:20leftists of the EU, our sort of closest neighbours, largest trading bloc of the world and all
01:25of that...
01:25the special relationship has traditionally meant close military cooperation...
01:30intelligence sharing and diplomatic alignment, including Britain's role within...
01:35NATO and the Five Eyes Intelligence Partnership.
01:38Those structures remain in place.
01:40But under President Trump, allies have faced tougher public pressure on defence...
01:45lending and a more transactional tone in foreign policy.
01:49But...
01:50what we still see America as being special and we hear this expression as the special
01:54sort of relationship...
01:55and I think it still exists.
01:57But of course, the problem we've got is that...
02:00we've got Donald Trump, who was elected in by the American voters a year or so...
02:05and of course, it's become really turbulent.
02:08We hope it will sort of go beyond...
02:10beyond him.
02:11But of course, undoubtedly, it's made a sort of question where our sort of...
02:15our places in the world...
02:16and of course, there is a sort of view about Britain.
02:18It's always been a sort of a big hit.
02:20But hits way beyond, of course, its weight.
02:23But I think with the sort of the back end of America...
02:25So to take, for instance, defence, which of course is what this is really about...
02:29our nuclear...
02:30capability...
02:31you know, for sure, we can sort of...
02:32we can use it...
02:33um...
02:34prior to sort of...
02:35to Brexit.
02:36We were kind of the bridge between Europe and America and...
02:39trying to play...
02:40both parts.
02:41I think the danger we've got at the moment is that we're sort of...
02:43certainly not part of Europe, although...
02:45understanding that that relationship is...
02:48reheating, as it were, and becoming...
02:50sort of...
02:51much easier to sort of...
02:52to deal with.
02:53But of course, as we know, Starma will only...
02:55last for...
02:56however long he lasts...
02:57until the next election...
02:58at most...
02:59and then of course we can...
03:00have...
03:01someone else in who would sort of see it differently...
03:02and then of course...
03:03you know...
03:04we could have...
03:05a prime star who sort of does look to America...
03:07I'm talking about suffrage in particular...
03:09but of course by that...
03:10that time Trump will be gone.
03:11So yeah...
03:12these things have got to be looked at...
03:13in the sort of...
03:14the longer term.
03:15and maybe what we're in...
03:16you know...
03:17it's a long road...
03:18and it has its sort of bumps...
03:19and this...
03:20this bump...
03:20a whole series of bumps...
03:21has been sort of...
03:22particularly sort of...
03:23arduous...
03:24but we hope that in the...
03:25five...
03:26ten years time...
03:27things have sort of...
03:28come back to a sort of...
03:29much more even keel...
03:30but...
03:30you know...
03:31there are no simple answers...
03:32and you know...
03:33the fact is though...
03:34Trump is the city...
03:35elected president...
03:35and we've got to sort of...
03:36work with him...
03:37and perhaps...
03:38eschewing him...
03:39which some people sort of say...
03:40and...
03:41you know...
03:42disengage of America...
03:43I don't think that would do...
03:44this country any sort of good.
03:45long term.
03:46The relationship...
03:47between London...
03:48and Washington...
03:49is still built...
03:50and deep institutional links...
03:52but the argument now...
03:53centres on trust...
03:55and...
03:56reliability...
03:57President Trump's...
03:58leadership style...
03:59has shifted the tone...
04:00of that relationship...
04:01as international uncertainty...
04:03grows...
04:04those questions...
04:05are likely to remain...
04:06central...
04:07to how the UK...
04:08defines its role...
04:09and align...
04:10differences...
04:11in the years ahead.
04:15across the world...
04:16there's a ship...
04:17some other people...
04:18who will need a love...
04:19could...
04:20who can rest something...
04:21they still deal with...
04:22there's a lot of issues...
04:24but...
04:25too citizens are desperately...
04:26in order...
04:27they want to...
04:28in order to take...
04:31there's the capital...
04:32theirii...
04:33perhaps this kind of...
04:34it makes them reasonable...
04:35to take...
04:36to uh...
04:37we're gonna be able...
04:38that...
04:39as Americans obvious...
04:42that the Appreciate...
04:43they usually refer to the featured...
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