Comment: Biden and Johnson reset the special relationship Published on: 11 June 2021 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Martin Farr discusses how eighty years after the Atlantic Charter, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson have reset the 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥�, with the New Atlantic Charter. Boris Johnson and Joe Biden signed a New Atlantic Charter, an echo of the Roosevelt-Churchill meeting 80 years earlier. , Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill first met in the summer of 1941 on HMS Prince of Wales to create the , establishing the terms of their countries鈥� relationship in war, and, as it was to prove, in peace. Eighty years later, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson meet a new HMS Prince of Wales to renew the constitution of the 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥�, with the . These are about as piquant a series of historical coincidences as an administration (or historian) could wish for. Both charters commit the US and the UK to what they deem the pressing issues of the day. The original鈥檚 call for the lowering of trade barriers, self-determination, and economic cooperation remains not only pertinent, but crucial, both for a post-Brexit, 鈥済lobal鈥� Britain, and for an America which wants once again to lead through alliances. In an age when the world is actually becoming , the new accord makes paramount the defence of democracy, followed by strengthening international institutions, recognising sovereignty and territorial integrity, supporting collective security, and a rules-based global economy. It ends with tackling the climate crisis 鈥� a notion unknown in 1941 鈥� and, topically, the catastrophic impact of health crises. Where once there was war, now there is pandemic. Both and have announced plans to collectively vaccinate 600 million people through another legacy of 1941, the World Health Organization. The leaders of the two countries which led the fightback in the second world war may think of themselves as leading the world again, but against a different kind of tyranny. Historic echoes Five months after Roosevelt and Churchill met, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour and delivered what the prime minister wanted most: America in the war. Two days later, the Japanese sank the HMS Prince of Wales and another experience was shared. On the eve of his departure, Biden 鈥渁ffirm the special relationship between our nations鈥�. This set up Johnson鈥檚 revelation that he didn鈥檛 like the term, saying he thought it was 鈥溾��. To freshen it up, he renamed it the 鈥溾��. This isn鈥檛 the first attempt to revamp it. For example, it鈥檚 not uncommon for the US and UK to publicly mark anniversaries of the furniture of the special relationship: the NSA and GCHQ marked 75 years of their while the US has celebrated how . Churchill happens to be the Brit most revered by Americans 鈥� to the extent of having a named after him. And this week, the 21st century may be seen to look back to the 20th. There鈥檚 even a biographical relationship: President Biden is as old as the Atlantic Charter. And he became a senator in 1973, the year that Britain pivoted from the new world back . After the G7, Biden and Johnson will go on to NATO 鈥� yet another legacy of 1941 (as are the summits themselves). A changing relationship The precedents for the two men alone are auspicious. Biden-Johnson succeeds Trump-May and Trump-Johnson, respectively , and the most presidential and prime ministerial relationships in history. Neither having much in the way of fixed beliefs, for Trump and Johnson the personal had primacy. The preoccupation with their personalities and idiosyncrasies overwhelmed other aspects of US-UK relations. Nevertheless, Biden 鈥� the most career of career politicians 鈥� and Johnson 鈥� whose non-conformity is central to his appeal 鈥� find their relationship more than usually freighted with baggage. Overtly Irish-American, Biden publicly about the implications of Brexit trade issues on peace in Northern Ireland. Johnson鈥檚 reckless remark about 鈥渉as never gone away鈥�. According to a member of Biden鈥檚 : 鈥淏iden鈥檚 got a long memory and Boris is not in his good books. Biden and Obama are like family.鈥� Equally unwisely, Biden described the new prime minister as a 鈥溾�� of Trump. Such antipathy stemmed from both the pro-Trump present and the anti-Obama past of the prime minister. But ascending to office can do wonders to opinions. Biden appropriated Johnson鈥檚 slogan about the impending post-pandemic reconstruction: 鈥溾��, while Johnson immediately welcomed the 鈥渋ncoming Biden-Harris administration鈥� and spoke of 鈥溾�� without Trump鈥檚 name passing his lips. With Biden鈥檚 election, in London and Washington the commentators鈥� word of choice for US-UK relations was 鈥溾��. With Biden鈥檚 record of pragmatism and cooperation and the fortuitous coincidence of UK leadership of the UN Security Council 鈥� the core of the 1941 settlement 鈥�- as well as the G7 and COP26, an opportunity presented itself. Scepticism will persist about the nature and extent 鈥� even the existence 鈥� of the special relationship. But the first world leader the new American president spoke to (other than those of the two countries bordering his own) was British, the first he met in person was British and the first country he visited as president was Britain. And when they met, the president and the prime minister chose to retell the origin story of the special relationship. , Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . 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