Now Mr Abe seems keen on a more assertive role for Japan internationally, in alliance with America.
And yet, Obama does outline what appears to be a more direct and assertive role for government: for example, fostering tighter fuel economy standards for automobiles and emission standards for power plants -- two actions the president has taken that Romney opposes and promises to reverse (see here and here).
But by announcing Egypt's nuclear-power drive at a party conference, during a period of high regional tension over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the younger Mubarak was clearly staking out a more assertive role, both for himself and for Egypt.Egypt's decision to pursue nuclear energy is not in itself controversial.
Abe's success in waving a big American "stick" at China came just as Japan's Defense Ministry issued an interim report calling for Tokyo to acquire new military capabilities and play a more assertive role in the region.
In fact, Italian aircraft played a more assertive role in the bombing raids than the public were told at the time.
In effect, Mr. Kerry has picked up the mantle of his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who pressed Mr. Obama unsuccessfully to take a more assertive role in the Syrian civil war.
In fact, if the euro is to survive, German policymakers have to play a much more assertive role in the governance of the euro zone.
But it needs American support to play a more assertive role in the coalition against Mr. Assad by bolstering the Syrian opposition, both politically and militarily.
Relatively poor, with a population that pales before countries like Egypt, Syria has long played an assertive role in the region by making itself a linchpin.
There's no point updating the story, of course, and in fact the girls do in any case take a reasonably bold and assertive role in the adventure.
Should Germany take a more assertive role in the world?
