# Do Any Countries Other Than the US and UK Have as Special a Relationship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523 "2009-04-09T16:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/1 "2009-04-09T16:20:44Z")
Per wikipedia, The Special Relationship is a phrase often used to describe the exceptionally close political, diplomatic, cultural and historical relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, following its use in a 1946 speech by British statesman Winston Churchill. While both countries maintain close relationships with many others, the level of cooperation in military planning, execution of military operations, nuclear weapons technology and intelligence sharing with each other has been described as “unparalleled” among major powers. The paragraph above clearly states this is something of a unique relationship amongst the major economic and military powers of the world, but it is my understanding that Canada and the US, Canada and the UK, and Australia and New Zealand all have similarly deep relationships, if not as strong based simply on the UK and US both being so dominant. Is this found anywhere else in the world? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/2 "2009-04-09T16:25:12Z")
Well I don’t know if it could be described as ‘special’ by your definition, but I’d say France and Germany certainly tend to unite on many many political decisions - certainly on the subject of ‘Europe’ and sometimes in opposition to the US/UK agenda. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/3 "2009-04-09T16:27:25Z")
Part of what’s special about the UK-US relationship is that the UK used to be a major world power and the US is a major world power, so t’s not just the closeness of the relationship but the importance of the two countries. The Australia-NZ relationship is closer, but those countries aren’t as important on the world scene. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/4 "2009-04-09T16:34:01Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > …among major powers… would seem to limit this to a rather small group of countries. Can you list the nations you’d consider to be in this group? That would make it easier to spot the deep relationships rather than speculating whether, say, Australia and New Zealand qualify, or the U.K. and India, or China and North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/5 "2009-04-09T16:44:12Z")
The UK and Portugal have been continuously allied since 1373. That’s pretty special. India and Russia have remarkably broad technology-sharing arrangements, although it mostly comes down to India buying Russian arms. The Mig-35 which was designed more or less for India will be more advanced than any jet in the Russian air force. US and Canada, India and Nepal, Aus/NZ, too. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/6 "2009-04-09T16:51:02Z")
It’s arguable that Canada and the US have an even stronger relationship than the UK and the US. For example, there’s NAFTA - the US does not have any equivalent trade agreement with the UK. There’s also NORAD - unlike NATO, where the military commander is always an American, in NORAD there have been Canadian commanders, giving orders to US military. For example, on [9/11](http://www.norad.mil/News/2008/060308.html), the commander of NORAD was a Canadian: > [@](#): > > Lieutenant-General Charlie Bouchard is the Deputy Commander of NORAD, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “[NORAD] is about the evolution of a unique relationship that has developed and matured over half a century,” he said. “It is about a culture of cooperation. It is about trust, respect and confidence.” > > Perhaps the best example of that trust, respect and confidence came in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. At a time when all air traffic in North America was being ordered to the ground, a Canadian officer was in the command chair at NORAD headquarters. LGen Eric Findley, was Bouchard’s predecessor and was the key decision maker at NORAD that day. > > LGen Bouchard used this example to highlight the relationship, which has lasted half a century, “Under what other agreements would you imagine one country letting an officer from another country make key decisions about its own national security.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/7 "2009-04-09T16:54:00Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s arguable that Canada and the US have an even stronger relationship than the UK and the US. I’d say that culturally Canada and the United States are closer than the United Kingdom and the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/8 "2009-04-09T16:58:05Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > would seem to limit this to a rather small group of countries. Can you list the nations you’d consider to be in this group? Obviously this is a group that is difficult to define, and which changes over time. Rome was a major world power 2,000 years ago, but isn’t even a country now. The UK was a major world power 100 years ago, but (IMHO) isn’t now. So when did the UK cease to be a major world power? That could be almost any date between 1945 and now. (And Rome ceased being a major world power on June 2nd, 455). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/9 "2009-04-09T17:05:22Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > So when did the UK cease to be a major world power? That could be almost any date between 1945 and now. The UK is still a major world power. UK defense spending ranks somewhere between fourth and sixth in the world. It just isn’t a _superpower_ anymore. I don’t think I’d say any date between 1945 and now. The majority of the decline was definitely between 1945 and 1955. Giving up all its colonial possessions meant the UK no longer had to field a large army. The Royal Navy is still huge in comparison to most, and its decline has been more gradual. The UK is now the only country other than the US which currently has more than one operational aircraft carrier. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/10 "2009-04-09T17:05:46Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > would seem to limit this to a rather small group of countries. Can you list the nations you’d consider to be in this group? That would make it easier to spot the deep relationships rather than speculating whether, say, Australia and New Zealand qualify, or the U.K. and India, or China and North Korea. I’d rather not because I’m not an expert on world politics or economics, and any line I draw is going to be both artificial and ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/11 "2009-04-09T17:08:54Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I’d rather not because I’m not an expert on world politics or economics, and any line I draw is going to be both artificial and ignorant. For the purposes of this discussion, I propose the following list: United States China Russia France United Kingdom Japan Germany Italy South Korea India Saudi Arabia Australia Turkey Those are the nations which spend more than $10 billion per annum on defense, and there’s a $2.3 bn gap between Turkey (#13) and Brazil (#14). ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/12 "2009-04-09T17:09:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > India and Russia have remarkably broad technology-sharing arrangements, although it mostly comes down to India buying Russian arms. The Mig-35 which was designed more or less for India will be more advanced than any jet in the Russian air force. What’s the origin of this relationship? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/13 "2009-04-09T17:13:53Z")
Sticking with America for a minute, there’s our relationship with Israel. That’s pretty strong, and special. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/14 "2009-04-09T17:15:21Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > What’s the origin of this relationship? The West (read: US) sold or leased lots of weapons to Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, because the Soviets were ostensibly trying to acquire a warm-water port. India started buying arms from the Soviet Union at that point to counter the Pakistani military buildup. India buys British, French, Israeli and American weapons too, now, but since virtually all of the Indian Army’s tanks and the Indian Air Force’s planes are Russian, it makes sense to keep buying Russian stuff to ensure compatibility and the like. > [@](#): > > Sticking with America for a minute, there’s our relationship with Israel. That’s pretty strong, and special. Mostly one-way, though. The US has lots of military installations in Britain and in British territories, but hardly any in Israel, presumably because the Israeli government won’t allow it. I think there are some radar installations and the like, but no permanent airfields or army bases. ---
**Author:** ![Mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mulligan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/15 "2009-04-09T17:21:17Z")
I would hope that with all the money and support the US and it’s citizens send to Israel that there is a very strong relationship. Mulligan ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/16 "2009-04-09T17:22:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think there are some radar installations and the like, but no permanent airfields or army bases. Hopefully **Alessan** will be along in a bit to confirm or correct this. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/17 "2009-04-09T17:23:00Z")
There are also some pretty strong relationships within the British Isles. Citizens of Northern Ireland and the Republic can get passports from either country, and you can’t get a much closer relationship than that between England, Scotland, and Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/18 "2009-04-09T17:26:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There are also some pretty strong relationships within the British Isles. Citizens of Northern Ireland and the Republic can get passports from either country, and you can’t get a much closer relationship than that between England, Scotland, and Wales. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are one nation-state. All power derives from London; Parliament could theoretically dissolve the Scottish and Northern Irish Parliaments and Welsh Assembly tomorrow if it wanted. The individual US states have more sovereignty; they just don’t field their own teams for ball sports. ETA: The Republic of Ireland extends nationality rights to NI citizens, but I don’t think citizens of Eire can get UK/NI passports. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/19 "2009-04-09T17:36:49Z")
Well their is the whole EU thing…Besides that the US and UK have a very close relationship. For example the UK holds backups of major departments files as well as the stock market status of each day. The US held very important things for the UK during WWII, art, jewels, and I think an enigma? Canada and the US both operate NORAD even though it is in the geographical US. When 9/11 hit witnesses said their was no way to tell who was an American and who was Canadian inside NORAD because everyone was working together. I think this has more to do with the geographical location of the two countries as any ICBM from USSR would fly over the north pole through Canada, and if Canada was not located where its at I doubt the relationship would be as strong. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523/20 "2009-04-09T18:13:26Z")
Given their history it’s unsurprising that countries which grew initially from English (and Scottish, Welsh, etc) colonialism should still be so close. They share a language, a system of law and a history, besides much else. It would be surprising if there were _no_ special relationship. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-countries-other-than-the-us-and-uk-have-as-special-a-relationship/492523.md?page=2)