The close political, ideological and personal relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher is perhaps the strongest formed by any American or British leader. The strong bond and mutual understanding between Reagan and Thatcher rekindled the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom that began during World War II. This assignment will reveal what America gained from the special relationship during the Reagan presidency. The assignment will begin with an introduction to Reagan and the similar characteristics he shared with Thatcher. Then the focus shifts to Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program and the concerns raised by America's allies. After focusing on SDI, this assignment will explore the Falklands War and the role Britain and America played in the conflict. Going forward, this work will then examine the American invasion of Grenada and the British response to the military occupation. Finally this assignment will examine the American military presence in Britain, focusing on cruise missile stations and the bombing of Libya. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America. Reagan served two terms from 1981 to 1985 and 1985 to 1989. During his presidency Reagan formed a political and economic philosophy with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Their relationship was a transatlantic marriage full of affection and tension. (Telegraph, 2015). Both leaders believed in free market economics and reducing state interference in the economy. They were also both staunch anti-communists and anti-socialists. Both Reagan and Thatcher played a role in ending the Cold War alongside Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. When Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in London in 1984 he was garlanded and celebrated by Margaret Thatcher. “I like Mr. Gorbachev,” he said. “We can do business together.” (The Times, 2015). The special relationship is a close economic, political, military, cultural and historical partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom. The term special relationship was coined by Winston Churchill. This "special relationship" began during World War II. While both countries enjoy this special relationship, the partnership is not always equal. On March 23, 1983, Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars or SDI). SDI was a feasible program envisioned by Reagan to protect entire populations from nuclear war. (Clifford, G, J. 1994, p. 28). Reagan sought a defense-dominant strategy using SDI to interdict offensive weapons launched toward the United States in fear or anger. The program would make the United States invulnerable and reduce the likelihood of war. (Kegley, W, C. 1996, p. 113). Reagan's defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, told Congress: "If we can get a system that is effective and that we know can render their weapons impotent, we would be back in the situation that we were in, for example, when we were the only one nation with nuclear weapons". weapon and did not threaten others with it” (LaFeber, W. 1994, p. 708). The SDI is a perfect example of why the special relationship was not an equal partnership and was one of many initiatives undertaken without consulting the British. When Regan announced his SDI plan to the world, he never informed America's allies or even some parts of his own administration. SDI represented a threat to British interests as it reduced the chances of arms control agreements, since Reagan considered itessentially non-negotiable and SDI also promised to make all nuclear forces obsolete, which in turn increased the cost of producing nuclear weapons. effective. (Smith, M. 1988, p. 18). Europe also shared Britain's concerns about the SDI program, which would make America impregnable to nuclear attack, and questioned whether the United States would continue to spend huge amounts of money through NATO in defense of Western Europe . At a meeting at Camp David in 1984, Thatcher informed Reagan that Britain was not opposed to the SDI programme, but wanted the new system to be seen alongside and not as a substitute for nuclear deterrence. Thatcher, who saw the commercial benefits of SDI, ensured that British companies were the first in NATO to participate alongside the Americans in research and development contracts awarded by the SDI programme. (Evans, 2004, p.96-97). The Falklands War was a ten-week war fought in 1982 between Argentina and Great Britain for control of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands. The war began on April 2 with the invasion of Argentina and ended on June 14. Before the start of the war, the two main British political parties had sought a negotiated settlement with Argentina in which Argentine sovereignty would be respected and the islanders' desire to remain British would be safeguarded. The preferred solution was to lease the islands for a long period to Argentina, but diplomatic negotiations to find a solution were never completed. Britain misinterpreted the signals and left the islands vulnerable when it decided to withdraw the British naval presence from the island. Argentina invaded and quickly overcame the small British military presence stationed on the island. (Little, W. 1988, p. 137). Britain responded in kind by sending its navy to confront Argentine naval and air forces. In an official statement, Reagan supported Thatcher's claims that the Argentines were the aggressors and that the United States would provide Britain with war materials to provide assistance if requested. Yet behind the scenes the State Department painted a different picture than Reagan described in his statement. US Secretary of State Alexander Haig reported the State Department's reaction: “In the first hours of the crisis, most staff shared the press and public's amusement at what was perceived as a battle between Gilbert and Sullivan for a sheep pasture between a choleric John Bull and a comical dictator in bright uniforms. (Evans, 2004, p.100). After retaking the islands from Argentina, Thatcher's confidence in Britain's superiority was evident: “I think Britain has now found a role. It means upholding international law and teaching the nations of the world how to live." (Beckett, C. 2007, p. 91). US military forces invaded the small Caribbean island of Grenada on October 25, 1983. Their mission was to overthrow a left-wing regime, which had built close ties with Cuba. More than 6,000 US military personnel took part in the operation, which resulted in the death of more than 100 people, including 25 Cubans. (Paterson, G, T. Clifford, G, J. Hagan, J, K. 1995 p. 526-527). Reagan saw it as an easy opportunity to overthrow the communist regime. “Grenada came to seem like a textbook example of a defenseless state on its way to becoming a Soviet tool.” (Rosenfeld, S, S. 1987 p. 205). The invasion of Grenada was a military occupation by Americans of a Commonwealth country, without permission from the British government. Thatcher was outraged and.