ABSTRACT
Several studies of the developing British-American predicament in the 1950s point to difficulties caused by the often unclear relationship between doctrine and events, by disparities in perceptions and needs and by the differing implications of shared concerns within overlapping issue areas. The British and American governments found themselves caught up in similar fashion over issues of international trade. In Britain and the United States, the fragmentation of domestic political concerns and activity generated much political and academic debate; more importantly for the argument, the problem of domestic fragmentation can be seen to have had significant international implications. One consequence of pressures on consensus and leadership in the United States and Britain was an increase in fragmentation within the administrative machine. In 1979, the penetration of American artificial fibres into a vulnerable British market led in turn to British accusations that American government policy on oil prices gave manufacturers there an unfair competitive advantage.
