Henry Kissinger said he sees a stronger role for the UK in guiding US relations with the European Union from outside the bloc.
Britain’s “special partnership” with the US means it “historically is better placed” to burnish trans-Atlantic ties, the former US Secretary of State told Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait in a June 7 interview to mark his 100th birthday. He was asked whether post-Brexit Britain or France enmeshed in the bloc are in a better position to go forward.
“Psychologically, Britain is better placed, because in each structure of the world that one can imagine appearing, whatever Europe does to its own construction, it cooperates with America and pursues parallel politics with America,” Kissinger said. For the UK, that means it’s “a great opportunity for it to act as a link between a unifying Europe and America.”
Kissinger’s views depart from those of many Brexit critics, who argue that the UK served better as a bridge to the US when it remained a member of the EU, able to influence internal decisions.
“Britain’s problem is its connection, how to connect with Europe, not how to connect with the United States,” Kissinger said. “For Britain to link to Europe has turned out to be not possible organically, so it now has to be done by policy.”
Kissinger served as secretary of state and national security advisor under Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and was instrumental in opening up relations with China. He has continued to enjoy a lasting influence in foreign policy circles through his consulting firm Kissinger Associates.
