A time for pride and prejudice: Anglo-American relations at the UN during the Congo crisis, 1960-1965

Abstract

This thesis examines the Anglo-American relationship at the United Nations during the Congo crisis from 1960-1964. The United Nations headquarters in New York became a focal point for British and American foreign policies as it was the crucible for the clashing of the process of decolonisation with the Cold War. In its three forms as a public space in which nations could act, a multilateral context for the exercise of foreign policy and as an actor in its own right in the Congo, the UN provides a multi-dimensional prism through which to examine the Anglo-American relationship. It was at its most powerful at this moment due to the rise of Third World nations to the world stage who advanced the agenda for decolonisation and diluted the traditional power base of the West. The effect of such reveals new insights into the ‘special relationship’, exposing the conflict between the two over events in the Congo but also at moments how the traditional power balance between them evolved contrary to expectations.