The term “special relationship” has been used since World War II to describe the partnership between the US and Britain in the face of Nazi Germany, but many have argued that it was strengthened during the Cold War under the close alliance of President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margret Thatcher.
This week, former and current diplomats, government officials and foreign policy advisers gathered in London to celebrate Thatcher’s centenary, and to reflect on her partnership and friendship with the late US president.
The Reagan-Thatcher alliance set a precedent that transcended political parties and national leaders, even during periods when the US and Britain faced undeniable disagreements.
Experts meet to discuss how the relationship between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan has strengthened the relationship between Britain and the US on October 17, 2025 in London. (Bettmann via Getty Images)
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Ryan explained that their relationship was so successful in part because they formed a relationship before either of them became head of state, and they shared a mutual commitment to revitalizing their economies and countering communism.
“I think the personal relationship has made it more than just transactional — it’s made it a kind of exceptionally trusting relationship in terms of what’s being done today,” said Ryan, who also served as Reagan’s chief of staff from the late 1980s. “I think this is a good example for the future.”
While the Reagan-Thatcher alliance is best known for pressuring the Soviet Union, its fervent anti-communist principles and ultimately ending the Cold War, experts argued in London this week that, perhaps more importantly, their partnership created an enduring obligation that future leaders would adhere to to ensure the US-UK partnership continued.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the closing ceremony of the Geneva Summit, November 21, 1985, in Geneva, Switzerland. (Bettmann via Getty Images)
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Although the relationship between the U.S. and Britain has not always been completely smooth, such as when conservatives took issue with the removal of a bust of Winston Churchill instead of a bust of Martin Luther King Jr., first during the Obama administration, then under President Joe Biden – both moves that were reversed by President Donald Trump – Concerns about the ‘special relationship’ increased after his election earlier this year. The actions he took upon returning to the White House, including high tariffs and a critical tone toward NATO, had some concerned that he was advocating American isolationism.
But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Trump did significant efforts to keep the relationship positive.
Trump has often pointed to his mother’s Scottish roots as one of the reasons he loves Britain, and Ryan argued that the US-Britain partnership is not only rooted in shared history but also “built into the DNA” of both countries, dating back to Britain’s colonies before the American Revolution.
“[Both have] added weight to the special relationship, and it seems to be something they’re both working on,” Ryan said. ‘People have seen that Keir Starmer [and] Donald Trump has been able to build a good relationship. It’s an example for others to try to follow.”
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The relationship between the US and Britain is under renewed scrutiny, not just because of the political differences between Trump and Starmer, but because both countries face the greatest threat to the West since the Cold War, once again coming from Moscow.
President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and his wife Victoria Starmer at Trump Turnberry Golf Club on Monday, July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. (Christopher Furlong/Pool photo via AP)
Both Thatcher and Reagan managed to build a strong relationship with the former and last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, although the post-Cold War peace was shorter-lived than the protracted geopolitical struggle following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump has raised eyebrows at his repeated attempts to engage with Putin diplomatically, despite little to no action from the Kremlin chief to end his war ambitions.
Security experts have wondered whether Putin is playing Trump’s role by issuing platitudes and agreeing to meet with Trump in a show that outwardly appeases the president’s desire to end the war even as he takes no concrete steps to actually do so.
Trump and Putin agreed again on Thursday to meet in person after first doing so in August in what were described as “extremely productive” talks.
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But what was achieved at the meeting remains unclear as Russia increased its aerial bombardment of Ukraine rather than halt military operations after the talks.
Ryan noted that there are many differences in the threat the US and Britain face from Russia this time, but said: “I think both sides realize the threat that Putin poses, and hopefully through this close relationship that we’ve had, we can be united and ally in standing up to that.”
