‘Under tremendous strain’: CIA analyst turned spy novelist on a fraying US-UK alliance

David McCloskey’s new book depicts a calamitous collapse of the ‘special relationship’ – could things get darker still? The “special relationship”, the time-honored emotional bond between the US and Britain that has sustained through war and peace, is in trouble. The ties of history, culture and language that have bridged an ocean and bound the two countries politically for generations are fraying as perhaps never

Robert Tait in Washington October 11, 2026 · 11:00 AM 1 MIN READ

David McCloskey’s new book depicts a calamitous collapse of the ‘special relationship’ – could things get darker still?

The “special relationship”, the time-honored emotional bond between the US and Britain that has sustained through war and peace, is in trouble.

The ties of history, culture and language that have bridged an ocean and bound the two countries politically for generations are fraying as perhaps never before – strained relentlessly by Donald Trump, who has gleefully sacrificed traditional alliances and diplomatic niceties on the altar of his “America first” agenda.