Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 09/2008

PolicyWatch #1265: Mr. Brown Comes to America: The U.S.-British Summit

Simon Henderson

July 2007

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

On July 29-30, just over a month after taking over from Tony Blair, new British prime minister Gordon Brown will meet with President Bush at Camp David. It will be the first opportunity for direct, substantive discussions between the two leaders and is widely expected to be a difficult summit. Brown is seen as wanting to establish a very different -- and cooler -- relationship with Bush. Although the effect of this public distancing on longstanding U.S.-British cooperation is uncertain at the moment, the change in substance and style will no doubt have implications for current policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the way the two leaders relate in the event of future crises.