France takes on Britain's former 'US wingman' role over Syria
Britain has abandoned its longtime role as America's loyal 'wingman' after Parliament halted Cameron's march to war against Assad
In the 2003 Iraq war, France refused to join the US-led coalition against Saddam Hussein, while Britain, as usual, fought fiercely alongside the Americans.
Many Americans made fun of the French, speaking of "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", and "freedom fries" becoming the nom de guerre of French fries in Washington.
Ten years later, however, France is pressing for military action in Syria and happy to fight alongside the Americans against President Bashar al-Assad, while the British will not take part in any military action, joining the Germans on the sidelines.
The outcome is especially bizarre because Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain joined President Francois Hollande of France in strongly pushing US President Barack Obama to act more boldly in Syria - to provide arms to the rebels, to consider a no-fly zone, to strike hard in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons.
Cameron's activism far outstripped Britain's teamwork with the US on the Iraq war, for which bitter Britons referred to prime minister Tony Blair as president George W. Bush's poodle.
"On this issue Britain wasn't Obama's poodle but his Rottweiler," said Robin Niblett, the director of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.