Rightly or wrongly, Britain is coming under focus in America these days given the nationality of BP, the purported villain of the tragedy unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. (In reality, the people who made and managed the equipment – Americans all – should be held equally accountable). US and UK officials have been forced to reconfirm the “unshakeable bond”, as someone recently called the vaunted special relationship. But these reaffirmations only highlight a growing disquiet in the UK about America’s attitude towards its ally.
Britain isnt alone. Other allies are wondering about their relationship with America as well. Japan fears that the elevated emphasis the US has put on relations with China will come at its expense. India worries about this too, particularly in light of deeper US engagement with Pakistan. Poland worries about being sacrificed as the US resets its relations with Russia. Israel is concerned that in reaching out to the Islamic world, America is abandoning it.
The art of diplomacy is about talking to your enemies and advancing your interests. But if engaging your enemies means losing your friends, it becomes a self defeating proposition. The risk for America is that if our allies decide that they cannot rely on a strong United States, they will turn elsewhere. Britain and Poland could move closer to the foreign policy positions of Germany and France, weakening the Atlantic alliance. Japan talks about a more independent role, but in reality this means hedging its bets and cozying up to a rising China . Even India might be forced to be more accomodating to China, as the impetus for an alliance of Asia’s democracies fade.
These predictions may be unduly gloomy, and the Administration is belatedly trying to talk up its relationships with its allies. But there is still a point to be learnt. In reaching out to enemies or rivals, we gain nothing if we lose our friends.
