White House privately delighted U.K. remains united

The Obama administration is breathing a private sigh of relief at Scotland’s failed independent referendum, as a fractured United Kingdom would have posed global security concerns for both the United States and the U.K.

The U.S. has no greater ally than the U.K., and anything that weakens the island nation’s global authority would hit Washington hard. And a Scottish exit from the U.K. would have compromised Britain’s global military might and political influence, experts say.

“The U.K. and the U.S. have very strong intelligence sharing and gathering capabilities, and with Scotland out, the rest of the U.K. would have to reconstruct or refigure their intelligence capabilities,” said Matthew Feeney of the Cato Institute, a Washington think thank.

“If the U.K. had become smaller, it’s going to be hard for it to maintain its status on the world stage … Given all that, I can understand why the Americans would want for the U.K. to maintain its status as a united kingdom.”

An independent Scotland would have particularly caused logistical headaches for the British navy. Scottish leaders had promised a nuclear-free country if they broke from the U.K., meaning British Trident submarines currently stationed outside Glasgow would have had to relocate.

The loss of the Scottish port also would have directly affected U.S. military capabilities as it has served as a maintenance depot for U.S. nuclear submarines.

Scottish voters on Thursday voted 55 percent to 45 percent to keep Scotland’s 307-year union with the rest of Britain intact. There was an unprecedented turnout of just under 85 percent.

A “yes” vote would have given momentum to British isolationists pushing for the nation to leave the European Union, a nervy prospect for Washington as it would stand to lose a major proxy voice on the council.

“The U.K. is a big partner of the United States, so … it’s good [for the U.S.] to have a strong U.K. and to have somebody on your side within the European Union,” said Desmond Lachman of the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think thank.

“The U.S. certainly did not want Scotland to become independent of the U.K.”

The administration mostly stayed on the sidelines during the Scottish independence debate. When asked to weigh in on the issue earlier this year, President Obama said, “It’s up to the people of Scotland.”

But the administration in recent weeks had strongly hinted it’s satisfied with the U.K.’s current makeup.

“The U.K. is an extraordinary partner for America and a force for good in an unstable world. I hope it remains strong, robust and united,” Obama said in a Twitter post Wednesday on the eve of the vote.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, desperate not to lose Scotland on his watch, likely was pleased with the Obama administration’s official neutrality, Lachman said, as he wouldn’t have expected another nation to take sides on such a sensitive foreign matter solved democratically.

And any overt support for British unity could have backfired for Washington and London, as it risked upsetting — and emboldening — Scottish independence advocates.

“It would’ve been very difficult for the United States to put itself in that kind of position, intervening in somebody else’s democratic election,” Lachman said. “I’m not sure [Cameron] wanted the United States to go and bang the drum. A low-key approach” was better.

On Friday, the president said the U.S. “welcome[s] the result of yesterday’s referendum on Scottish independence and congratulate the people of Scotland for their full and energetic exercise of democracy.”

“Through debate, discussion and passionate yet peaceful deliberations, they reminded the world of Scotland’s enormous contributions to the U.K. and the world, and have spoken in favor of keeping Scotland within the United Kingdom,” he said.

“We have no closer ally than the United Kingdom, and we look forward to continuing our strong and special relationship with all the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as we address the challenges facing the world today.”

Related Content