"By signing this treaty in the Czech Republic, a member of the European Union and NATO, the United States is symbolically asserting its commitment to European security and putting to rest old East-West Cold War divisions," he said.
Iran, of course, repeatedly asserts its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but its past relations with AQ Khan – the self-proclaimed "godfather" of Pakistan's nuclear-weapons programme, and the world's most notorious nuclear proliferator – invites scepticism.
Other Asian leaders would be likely to interpret a troop withdrawal as a reduction of American power, no matter how much the United States asserts its commitment to the region.
By taking part in the currency swap, at a period when the Chinese currency enjoys increasing global use, the UAE is asserting its commitment to strengthen economic ties with the world's second largest economy.
No doubt nervously, the Met asserts its foundational commitment to art history by including two small images of Muhammad; one of them, "The Night Journey of Muhammad," a charming sixteenth-century folio illustration from Herat, in modern-day Afghanistan, shows the Prophet riding the Buraq, a human-headed horse, through the Seven Heavens, amid angels, as men doze in a mosque courtyard below.
The country's press has only recently asserted its independence.
A climate of retreat had asserted its hegemony over hope.
The city has asserted its ability to come together.
Until recently, the department has not asserted its jurisdiction aggressively.
