consequence in the post- Cold War era. A sense of smug invulnerability
has taken hold in the West, particularly in the United States: "We won,
didn't we? Now it's time to look inward."

That attitude is dangerously shortsighted. The disintegration of the
Soviet Union may offer respite from fears of global nuclear war, but it
certainly does not guarantee a lasting, pervasive peace. The bloody dis-
memberment of the former Yugoslavia is one example of the resilience
of savagery. Meanwhile, new threats gestate in states with aggressive am-
bitions and advanced weapons.

Strategic realism is just one reason for maintaining strong ties between
Great Britain and the United States. Changes in the world's economy
are just as profound as the shift in the balance of military power. No
nation can afford to let itself become isolated or dream of economic dom-
inance. In the evolving global economic order, a country needs partners.
The United States and Great Britain are perfect colleagues for taking
advantage of this economic dynamism. Not only are their bilateral trade
and investment relations strong, but also they can help each other profit
from opportunities offered by the new Europe.

As desirable as cooperation between the United States and Great Brit-
ain may be, it is not essential for either country's survival today. Each
could make it on its own; there is no emergency comparable to Britain's
need for U.S. assistance in 1940. Nevertheless, neither country would be
as successful by going it alone as it would be by acting in concert.

The case for a reinvigorated relationship between the United States
and Great Britain is based on commonsense judgments about both
nations' futures. It also is rooted in shared history. Although the rebellious
colonial child grew up to become a superpower, language and culture
remain lasting links to the British parent.

A rich past shapes the present. Today's friendship has evolved from
not-so-friendly beginnings, such as British tea being dumped into Boston
Harbor and British soldiers burning the U.S. president's house. Relations
remained chilly through the nineteenth century and warmed only when
the increasingly muscular United States joined the Allied effort in World
War I.

After the Allied victory, the United States vowed that it had had
enough of European wars. Twenty years later, when Great Britain came
under German siege, even Winston Churchill's intense wooing of Amer-
ica produced only limited results. It took the attack on Pearl Harbor to
propel the United States into the war and into a new military alliance
with Great Britain. From that ultimately triumphant partnership emerged

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