In order to be an ally a nation needs to have two things:
1. It needs to be willing and able to make deep sacrifices in order to maintain its national freedom, especially when militarily threatened.
1. It needs to be willing and able to make deep sacrifices in order to maintain its national freedom, especially when militarily threatened.
2. It needs to share your values and/or interests to such an extent that it can be *relied upon* to side with you in major confrontations.
Many so-called “allies” of the US are today lacking either one of these qualities or both. Some are unwilling to sacrifice even for their own defense. Some don’t share enough values or interests to be relied upon.
This means that a lot of foreign policy talk feels like its borderline make-believe. All sorts of “allies” are named, but it’s not clear how many are really capable or interested in actual alliance.
It’s good to have real allies. But there’s nothing good about pretending. In some cases, what’s happening is just that one side is getting played. In foreign relations as in personal relations, best to know the truth.
