On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia. British colonial rule was thrust aside and the United States of America came into being.

Well over two centuries later, what is the nature of the relationship between the faded empire and its one time colony? Is it an alliance of equals or does one dominate the other? Is Britain independent from US influence? And is there really a "special realtionship" between Washington and London?

Joining the programme are Christopher Chivvis, a political scientist at the Rand Corporation, Alan Mendoza, the co-founder and executive-director of the Henry Jackson Society, and Thomas Klau, the head of the European Council On Foreign Relations in Paris.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Sunday, July 4, 2010.