For the musical "Anything Goes," Cole Porter wrote:
It's friendship, friendship,
Just a perfect blendship,
When other friendships have been forgot
Ours will still be hot!
In foreign policy, as in life, friends are good to have. But we all know that when friends change, relationships have to change as well.
And three of the best allies America has in the world are about to go through some significant changes.
In France, the nation will soon have a new president for the first time in 12 years. The New York Times wrote, "The most dramatic change in France’s foreign policy in a new presidency may not be the arrival of either Nicolas Sarkozy or Ségolène Royal, but the departure of President Jacques Chirac." The BBC says, "The world will see a new French attitude."
In the United Kingdom, Tony Blair says he will step down within weeks which means a new prime minister for the first time in a decade. Blair was President Bush's strongest ally in the Iraq War, and that cost him support at home. Newspapers across Britain wrote, "Iraq will be Blair's legacy."
And in Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert looks to be on the brink of resignation or ouster. His government has been rocked by a report highly critical of the way the 2006 war in Lebanon was handled. The BBC says 65% (or 73% depending on the poll) of the Israeli population wants Olmert to resign.
