Marsh, Seve  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3411-6488 and Culley, Tia
2026.
Steering the ‘Unwieldy Barge’: Britain, the US and the rise of post-Bretton Woods economic multilateralism.
Diplomacy and Statecraft
37
(2)
, pp. 530-566.
10.1080/09592296.2026.2657173
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Abstract
This article challenges two conventional wisdoms. First, that it was the Ford administration that drove multilateral responses to the economic and energy crises of the mid-1970s. Second, that British influence on US policy was minimal at this time given Britain’s economic weakness and a low ebb in Anglo-American relations. This is not the full story. Britain’s problems were substantial but the Labour governments nevertheless played a much more significant role than hitherto credited in steering the Ford administration away from its preferences for bilateralism and divide and rule tactics, and towards multilateralism. Moreover, the British learnt in the process how to redefine their role as junior partner to the US and evolved the special relationship away from outdated claims to exclusive relations with Washington and towards a new positioning of Britain as first ally amongst many in multilateral fora.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Cardiff Law & Politics |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis Group |
| ISSN: | 0959-2296 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 4 December 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 5 September 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Aug 2026 14:38 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182846 |
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