Similar to a conversation I had recently

Submitted by Jonathan (Netherlands), Nov 12, 2013 at 07:03

I am an Israeli. An American-Jewish acquaintance I recently chatted with expressed concern as to Israel's position with the US the only power offering real support of it, especially in the form on a UN veto. What would Israel do is this support suddenly vanished, he asked me.

I told him that other Western countries learned that it's best to lie low and let the US catch all the heat for being openly pro-Israeli, and that, given an American reversal, other countries will have to assume a different policy vis-a-vis Israel, Islam, etc. It is similar to what happened with NATO as other countries gladly allowed the US to assume the Lion's Share of alliance upon themselves and now we see signs of a change (Poland is one example).

What happened with France is exactly that. The French, with their intervention in Mali, leadership over Libya, and firm stand at the Iran (near-capitulation) talks at Geneva, have taken a bigger role, compensating for a weak and feckless US administration.

What are the chances that we will in the near future see a military buildup in Japan, Korea, Australia, and other East-Asia countries? I'd wager money on it. No one can trust the US at this point in time. Any country that does so has its head in the sand.

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