Agreement through opposition: political ideology and legislative constraint in the 'special relationships' of the United States

Thesis

Since 1945 the United States (US) has constructed a global web of 'special relationships' with states that share its political values, economic philosophy, or security predicament. Whether we understand these countries as 'clients', 'tributaries', 'friends', 'allies' or 'subordinates', what sets these relationships apart is the remarkably high level of cooperation and the extent to which this has endured over the decades. One question rarely asked, however, is how we can explain variation in the level of cooperation in these relations over time. Each of the 'special relationships' of the US has waxed-and-waned over the years, but the sources of this variation have not been fully uncovered. In this thesis I argue that changes in domestic political variables within each of the allied states are responsible for the varying degrees of cooperation witnessed over time. Utilising the example of Anglo-American relations in the postwar period, supplemented by a large-n statistical study, I demonstrate how a focus on political parties as the optimal actors in studying international cooperation helps us to understand the effects of political ideology and legislative constraint in foreign affairs.

Authors: Martill, BM

• Publication date: 2013
• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: United States foreign policy; British foreign policy; Political ideology; International relations theory; Legislative constraint
• Subjects: International studies; Political ideologies; Political science