ABSTRACT
In chapter five, I concluded that, since 1945, the US–British relationship has generally been presented either as a ‘friendship’ or a ‘partnership’ in the official British political discourse. The more critical ‘patron–client’ representation has hardly ever reached the official level. The ‘friendship’ representation typically depicts relations as genuinely amicable, anchored in a shared history, common values and culture. Often, it is accompanied by the catchphrase ‘special relationship’. Especially from the friendship representation, therefore, certain public expectations about US–British political and diplomatic interaction tend to follow.
