For John Brademas, James Fernández, John Healey <strong>and</strong> all <strong>the</strong> staff of <strong>the</strong> King Juan Carlos I of <strong>Spain</strong> Centre, New York University, <strong>and</strong> my polymathic friend, Felipe Fernández-Armesto “There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.” LORD PALMERSTON, British Foreign Secretary, 1849
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is <strong>the</strong> third book I have written for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Elcano</strong> Royal Institute. It aims to cover <strong>the</strong> investment, trade, defence, political <strong>and</strong> cultural aspects of <strong>the</strong> relationship between <strong>Spain</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>United</strong> <strong>States</strong>. The first chapter, unlike that of <strong>the</strong> previous two books, sets <strong>the</strong> scene by recounting more than 500 years of history between <strong>the</strong> two nations. I believe <strong>the</strong> reader needs this historical perspective, albeit in a condensed form, to fully appreciate <strong>the</strong> many complexities of <strong>the</strong> relationship <strong>and</strong> what is happening today. This book also exists in Spanish, published by Ariel. I would like to thank Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, <strong>Elcano</strong>’s former director, for commissioning <strong>the</strong> book, <strong>and</strong> Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, <strong>the</strong> new president, <strong>and</strong> Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias, <strong>the</strong> new director, for continuing <strong>the</strong> project. I would also like to acknowledge <strong>the</strong> assistance from <strong>the</strong> following people: Carlos Alberdi, Gayle Allard, Glynis Andrews, José María de Areilza Carvajal, Alfonso Armada, Mario Armero, Miguel de Avendaño, Whitney Baird, Rafael Bardají, Eva Barrionuevo, Fabia Buenaventura, Álvaro Calleja Crespo, Óscar Calvo-González, Manuel de la Cámara, Emilio Cassinello, Peter Cheek, Leslie Crawford, Reginald Dale, Thomas Dauterman, for copiously editing <strong>the</strong> manuscript, Guillermo de la Dehesa, Lorenzo Delgado, Francis <strong>and</strong> Patricia Dobbs, Juan Manuel Egea, Carlos Fernández-Lerga, Humberto Figarola, Richard Figueroa, Manuel Flecha, Emilio García, Jacinto García- Díez, Eduardo Garrigues, Richard Gillespie, Carmen González López-Briones, Sarah <strong>and</strong> Diana Graizbord, Fern<strong>and</strong>o Gutiérrez Junquera, Inmaculada de Habsburgo, Lloyd H<strong>and</strong>, Gonzalo de las Heras, Santiago Íñiguez, Silvia Iranzo, Gabriel Jackson, Harold James, John Law, Florencio López Navarro, Carlos Malamud, Edward Malefakis, Jaime Malet, José María Marín Quemada, Ángel Martín Acebes, Jesús de Miguel, José Morales, Edward Mortimer, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Alberto Nadal, James Nealon, Robin Niblett, Andrés Ortega, Jaime Otero, María Jesús Pablos, Rafael Pampillón, Rosa Pardo, Sofía Pérez, Mary Jean Riley, Laura Rohan, Sebastián Royo,