How special is the UK-US special relationship in America?

Huddersfield’s Dr Mercy Ette is going to find out when she spends four months on a Fulbright Scholarship programme investigating the so-called ‘special relationship’ and its highs and lows from the days of Tony Blair and George Bush to the present day.

THE notion of a ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US has been debated over the years since Winston Churchill first mentioned it in a speech in 1945.  Now, a senior lecturer from the University of Huddersfield, has been awarded a coveted scholarship to study how this special relationship is perceived across the Atlantic, in the United States.

Dr Mercy Ette, Course Leader for Journalism in the School of Music, Humanities and Media, has been conferred a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award to conduct research into the Anglo-American alliance over a period of four months, starting in August, at America’s highly-ranked Elon University, situated in North Carolina.

“Most of the studies I have looked at are from the UK side,” said Dr Ette.  “The British seem to be very particular about the UK-US special relationship, so my focus will be firmly on the American side.  I am going to look at how the iconic New York Times in particular, frames this relationship.”

The award means Dr Ette will reside in the USA for four months to allow herself to become completely immersed in the American culture and to gain insight into public perception of the often referred to ‘special relationship’.

Dr Ette will begin by examining the relationship between former USA President George Bush and the UK’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, when New Labour came into government in 1997.

Her research will then explore the changes in the political relationship over the next two decades leading up to the current leaders, President Donald Trump and the UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

As part of the Fulbright Award, Dr Ette will lecture in the School of Communications at Elon and is excited about the opportunity to hone her skills and garner innovative practices by exploring different styles of teaching.

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is run by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the academics chosen are selected for their academic merit and leadership potential to teach, research, and exchange ideas. 

The Scholar Awards provide the only scholarships available to academics and other professionals for lecturing and/or research in any discipline at any accredited U.S. university.

Dr Ette had to undergo a rigorous several stage application and interview process before being awarded the grant and says everything she learns will be brought back to enrich the lives of the students she will be teaching when she returns to Huddersfield in December.