A rise in isolationism has signaled a diminished public appetite for the assertive national security policy of the Bush years and, in general, a less internationalist outlook.
Germany, in particular, has become far more assertive on security issues than it used to be, and Europe as a whole has become a more united force.
That would be a real test of Europe's interest in playing a more assertive role on security.
Abbott, who has been playing an increasingly assertive role in security debates, used a speech in Singapore on Wednesday evening to call for increased military action in Iraq and Syria to prevent "the persistence of a blood-soaked caliphate killing in the name of God".
Thereafter his seminal themes were of love and security and assertive passionate acts that throw off the inertia of his Cubist figures.
"Like the visit, which is long overdue, these military decisions represent a symbolic commitment to Poland's defense against a more assertive Russia," said Eugieniez Smolar, security expert at the Polish Institute of International Affairs.
During his trip new guidelines were unveiled for Japan's alliance with America, which will allow Tokyo to take on a more assertive role in international security.Royals flushedKing Salman changed the line of succession in Saudi Arabia, appointing his nephew, Muhammad bin Nayef, crown prince and naming his son, Muhammad, who has been leading the war in Yemen, as second in line.
On this old terrain, Mr. Putin has been searching for opportunities, both for Russia's beleaguered national industries and for a more self-assured profile for Russian foreign policy, at once more constructive on issues of war and peace, but also more assertive when Russia's security and trade interests are in the balance.
But Mr. Bush is most worried about what he sees as a growing isolationism, a retreat from the tough-minded national security policies and assertive American role in the world that he championed.
A newly-assertive Russia has pushed energy security up the agenda.
