The other special relationship

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This volume summarizes the major findings of the conference participants over the last year. Beyond the thematic resemblance between this volume and the previous study of U.S.-UK relations, another similarity is the importance of two events in determining London and Canberra's relations with Washington. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) represent the first turning point. The British and Australian governments reacted similarly to these attacks -- immediately identifying 9/11 as a transformative moment in international relations. But the Australian Prime Minister's presence in Washington, DC, during the 9/11 terrorist attacks intensified the personal impact of the events, and within a few days his government had invoked the ANZUS Treaty to offer its full support to the United States. The second "big event" dominating both U.S.-UK relations and U.S.-Australia relations has been America's management of the Global War on Terror and, in particular, its leadership of the ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.