Steering the 'Unwieldy Barge': Britain, the US, and the rise of post-Bretton Woods Economic Multilateralism

This article challenges two conventional wisdoms. First, that it was the Ford administration that drove multilateral responses to the economic and energy crises of the mid-1970s. Second, that British influence on US policy was minimal at this time given Britain’s economic weakness and a low ebb in Anglo-American relations. This is not the full story. Britain’s problems were substantial but the Labour governments nevertheless played a much more significant role than hitherto credited in steering the Ford administration away from its preferences for bilateralism and divide and rule tactics, and towards multilateralism. Moreover, the British learnt in the process how to redefine their role as junior partner to the US and evolved the special relationship away from outdated claims to exclusive relations with Washington and towards a new positioning of Britain as first ally amongst many in multilateral fora.