But we also have a small core of true allies, nations that act on principal and will stick to their agreements and commitments even when it's painful to do so. They are the short list of movers and shakers who on the international stage stick their neck out defending our mutual/collective interests. The other ones mentioned above are the moochers, the tag alongs'; those who ripped their mouth open over missile defense, calling us names, and today have no recollection of their own words from years past and silently sit under our shield. The ones who ripped their mouths open over the Pershing missile, but never wonder today if nuclear deterrence did work. The ones who expect and even "demand" all the benefits of a global market place, a free and open Western world where their goods are shipped on water ways, they have access to strategic resources, their people fly on open and safe air ways, where there is regional stability, protection of intellectual property, a rule of law and respect of human rights. They "demand" a lot, but do as little as absolutely possible, and this behavior they see as noble, intellectual, and of course far superior to us dumb cowboys that only go to war for oil.
What to know who the allies are? Look in Iraq, or among those in Afghanistan that are doing the fighting and willing to go into bad places. Ask yourself who invited the Russians into Europe, and who's keeping their mouth shut and doing as little as possible reference Georgia...... It's obvious. The weasel saw a benefit with huge energy deals years past and screwed as neighbors, even bullying them over pipeline issues, and today the same weasels will sit their quietly not remembering that either and wondering how they will now deal with their dependence on Russian energy.
We have allies, but there are also many weasels who do as little as possible while faced with the same threats and issues at the macro level and even willing to sell the enemy the rope with which he'll hang us. Want to know who the weasels are? Who in the West sitting in the boat with us had the big contracts during Saddam's Iraq, or in Iran today........? The same ones that are the major trading partners with these despot regimes are also the ones unwilling to raise a finger in our collective security and interest concerns. But of course they see themselves far superior to us.
Truer than you know. And I hate to break the news, but there’s several countries we don’t think of as “Allies” lately (based on their public utterances) who’ve sent folks to fight and risk bad things happening to them in some bad places.
It won’t make the news for several years, but trust me there’s some countries not popular on FR who are actually making a difference in the WOT in some strange places.