submit a 1750 words paper on the topic Is Britain More Closely Linked to the US Rather than Europe. Despite its international importance, the UK understood that it should maintain trade relations with Europe in order to obtain economic growth. Debates regarding the UK’s membership in the EU are never-ending and some declare that the UK’s prosperity is linked with the EU, whilst others argue that there is a loss of identity to the UK2.
Hi, need to submit a 1750 words paper on the topic Is Britain More Closely Linked to the US Rather than Europe. Despite its international importance, the UK understood that it should maintain trade relations with Europe in order to obtain economic growth. Debates regarding the UK’s membership in the EU are never-ending and some declare that the UK’s prosperity is linked with the EU, whilst others argue that there is a loss of identity to the UK2.
The United Kingdom faced serious setbacks in the twentieth century and most of its military and economic prowess was exhausted in the two World Wars. Ireland became an independent nation after withdrawing from the union3.
The USA developed into a superpower after World War II, while Britain wanted and acquired the status of a medium-sized nuclear power. It managed to obtain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Moreover, in the EU also, the UK is not given much importance as it joined it much later and by that time the older members had made significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the EU. UK’s contribution to the expansion of the EU was negligible. Furthermore, the French President, Charles de Gaulle, opposed the inclusion of the UK in the EU, as it would be in with its relationship with the Commonwealth and the US. Accordingly, Charles de Gaulle used the French veto to prevent the UK from becoming a member of the European Economic Community or the EEC. Later on, when the UK finally managed to join the EU, it had to accept the rules and regulations framed by others in the EU4.
The UK has always been at loggerheads with the rest of Europe and not surprisingly, its relationship with the EU is strife-ridden. Margaret Thatcher advocated a reduction in the UK’s contributions to the EEC and her obduracy in this regard resulted in the exclusion of the UK from the Community’s social charter, moreover, UK was the only major European country that was not a signatory to the Schengen accord, which integrates the EU countries with border-free agreements. Further, the UK is the only major country in the European Union that did not adopt the single European currency or the Euro.
