Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crises. Edited by William D. James and Greg Kennedy. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2026. 308 pp.
Often discussed within the context of their respective heads of government, the special relationship between the United States of America and the United Kingdom is perhaps the singularly most discussed aspect of their geopolitical developments. The intellectual spark for William D. James and Greg Kennedy’s Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crisis emerged between 2021–2022 during a series of public seminars at King’s College London discussing the unique relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom (p. 3). James, an assistant professor in strategic studies at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, and Kennedy, professor of strategic foreign policy at King’s College London, center their work on the thesis that notwithstanding global geopolitical shifts, the institutional cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom endures due to the three “Crown Jewels” of the countries’ institutional cooperation—nuclear, intelligence, and military (p. 283). These realms of collaboration allow the United States and United Kingdom to navigate many international crises and conflicts that would typically collapse lesser aligned partnerships.
The uniqueness of Transatlantic Storms is its literary structure as a collection of essays written by scholars from different backgrounds and at different stages of their academic and professional careers. Separated into three distinct sections focused on the origins of institutional cooperation, economic and industrial cooperation, and crisis points, each part contains several essays that focus almost exclusively on case studies for US and UK institutional cooperation during the twentieth century. One notable exception is Emma Salisbury’s chapter “Joint Strike Fighter and Transatlantic Defense Procurement,” which highlights the United States’ procurement of the F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet, and the United Kingdom’s role as the sole Level 1 partner (p. 153). Although the first F-35s were delivered in 2015, much of the procurement groundwork began in the early 1990s. The narrowness of themes has potential to limit the argument, but in the case of Transatlantic Storms, it is an asset to the book’s success. The temporal focus allows several chapters to collaborate intellectually despite never referencing one another. Perhaps the most prominent example is 1956 as a watershed moment for US–UK cooperation. Gill Bennett’s chapter on 1956 showcases the relationship strain between the two countries in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis as they both pursued their own priorities in the Middle East, seemingly out of spite at times. Lousie Kettle’s 1956 chapter highlights a “new dynamic” of understanding in one another’s foreign strategic objectives emerging from these continued operations in the Middle East (p. 216).
The diverse background of contributors to Transatlantic Storms is a strength for this book. A quick glance at the biographies provided in the list of contributors highlights the various backgrounds of individuals that came together to create a truly well-rounded analysis. While some of the backgrounds of many of the authors, to include professors and assistant professors, are standard for academic scholarship of this caliber, it is refreshing to read essays written by up-and-coming scholars currently undertaking doctoral programs. This inclusion allows the reader to understand where the field of research is going from the perspective of new scholars. Jonathan Esty, a PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, writes a brilliant chapter on the United Kingdom’s role in persuading a reluctant Clinton administration to provide for European security during the Kosovo crisis. In addition to the range of experience of the contributors, many of the diverse contributors are experts in the fields of international affairs, national security, and history, which allows for a fully interdisciplinary text. The success of compiling these different styles and perspectives under a singular argument morphs Transatlantic Storms into a very smart intellectual conversation rather than a compilation of loosely aligned essays.
If there is any limitation in the scholarship it would be that the origin of the special relationship between the United States and United Kingdom, described throughout as overemphasized by the press corps of the two countries, is never clearly stated. There are discussions of when institutional, nuclear, and military cooperations began, but never the relationship itself. Kennedy does note in his introduction, “Much of the academic literature on the UK–US relationship focuses on the political level—that is, the relationship between presidents and prime ministers” (p.3). If the special relationship is defined by the role of presidents and prime ministers and not the institutional cooperation, then the lack of a mention is understandable. However, this is not explicitly stated and requires the reader to make assumptions. Additionally, there are occasions when the power dynamic between the United States and United Kingdom is treated as a power imbalance whereby the United Kingdom relies on the overwhelming power of the United States for continued support.
This power dynamic does make sense as the United States emerged from World War II as one of two superpowers and the United Kingdom no longer held the primary power position that it historically maintained. The inclusion of Barbara Zanchetta’s chapter on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is a notable exception in that she describes how the conflict in Afghanistan led to the United Kingdom assisting the United States to achieve strategic access to the Middle Eastern region. These limitations are minor critiques and do not take away from the incredible scholarship of this book.
Transatlantic Storms makes its mark in the field of international affairs by providing a comprehensive understanding of the Anglo–American strategic relationship. Not only does this book showcase the uniqueness of one of the most geopolitical alliances, but it covers broad areas of research such as defense acquisitions, military cooperation during World War II, the Cold War, and the post–Cold War period. This book is great for scholars and academics and is a great resource for those seeking to gain a breadth of knowledge on American foreign policy and diplomatic history.
Capt Branden Ventura-Miller, USAF