When friends get edgy
As 2006 begins, an American looking out at the world from the geographic centre of the United States - just west of Lebanon, Kansas - would see five nations critical to the security of America: Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia and Britain.
Gone are the cold-war days when the US, no matter who was in power, sought to win over every nation in the rivalry with the Soviet Union. Today, America seems to be more selective and to focus on those nations that directly affect US national interests.
To the north, Americans must have friendly neighbours along the 8,000km border with Canada and, to the south, along the 3,200km border with Mexico. Both frontiers are largely undefended and could be highways for terrorists. Yet, relations between Washington and Ottawa, and Mexico City, today are sour, maybe even bitter, by any measure.
To the west, across the Pacific, are Japan and Australia and, to the east, across the Atlantic, is Britain. America's alliance with each seems strong, but may be rooted more in personal relations between US President George W. Bush and prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi of Japan, John Howard of Australia and Tony Blair of Britain, rather than in deep-seated national interests.
Each has generated political opposition at home for being pro-American. Mr Koizumi has said he will step down next autumn. Mr Howard has taken much heat from Australians, who want assurances they will not be dragged into a war between China and the US. Mr Blair's popularity has plummeted, and his days in office may be numbered.
These three alliances are essential to US security as they sit off the Eurasian continent that is home for three-quarters of the human race and most of the world's industry and wealth. They are invaluable in international politics and are indispensable as military bases.
All is not well, however, with the two allies closest to home. Canada, the leading trade partner of the US, has long been ambivalent about the dominating culture of the colossus to the south. Today, says The Economist magazine, Canadians have become 'grumpily anti-American', due largely to a distaste for Mr Bush and the war in Iraq.
In Mexico, America's second-largest trading partner, there has long been resentment of the wealth of Americans. That has been aggravated by recent disputes over trade and especially the issue of Mexican immigrants, legal and illegal, to the US. After the US House of Representatives approved a bill that calls for a 1,100km fence along the US-Mexican border, many Mexicans called it a 'Berlin Wall'.
When Mr Bush came to office in January 2001, high on his agenda was fostering new relations with Canada and Mexico. A few months after taking office, Mr Bush went to Canada to a summit meeting with Canadian and Mexican leaders.
'Together we will put forward an agenda to strengthen our democracies, to tackle common challenges, and we will seek to expand our prosperity by expanding our trade,' he said.
Those brave words, like a lot of other things, faded into neglect after the September 11 terrorist assaults, the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the continuing antagonism between Israel and the Palestinians captured the administration's attention.
Richard Halloran is a former New York Times foreign correspondent in Asia and military correspondent in Washington
