With Russia now perceived in Washington as a bona fide fellow target of international terrorism, and as a tough ally against it, perhaps President Bush will prove more amenable to Russian concerns over Iraq.
The bruising internal battles over Mr. Karzai's role were largely settled, though there remained disagreements in Washington about whether his virtues as a tough ally against the Taliban balanced out the land grabs and corruption schemes that turned many Afghans against the government in Kabul.
Rather, we should address the conditions and the enablers -- political deadlocks in times of crises, and conservatives who want tougher allies and elicit support through nationalist and racist demagogy.
At the time that seemed to have ended a long period of dominance by Syria and its tough local allies.
Levitte pledged that France would "remain the toughest" U.S. ally when it came to imposing sanctions on Iran, adding that the French had no illusions about how difficult it would be to get the Russians and Chinese to support tougher measures.
Particularly as talk in Washington has grown tougher, the allies have begun showing signs that they want a carefully thought out plan to combat terrorism, not a burst of military might that turns out to be brutal and ineffective.
DOUBTS have persisted about Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, who reversed a humiliatingly dreadful first term in office in 2006-07 with a stunning return to power in 2012 a comeback often credited to the backing of abler and tougher political allies together with an unusual run of good luck.
The compromise that emerged was sensible, but getting there was fraught and distracting.At the beginning of the week, Mr Blair was shocked to discover that Alan Milburn, the health secretary, a tough and resourceful ally, wanted to quit the government because the job was destroying his family life.
U.S.-based analysts said that while Friedman's appointment could signal a break with longstanding U.S. policy as well as Obama's sometimes tough approach to ally Israel, U.S. ambassadors typically do not drive Middle East policy and it was still unclear how far Trump would be prepared to go.
Where previous administrations kept negotiations over U.S. prisoners held abroad close to the vest, Trump has elevated them to causes célèbres, striking a tough line with allies and foes alike.
But their location and time zone may put them at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting money from Asia and the Middle East, particularly when there are closer low-tax spots, such as Singapore.Britain will probably remain the islands' biggest customer, and, despite the recent bout of tough love, their main ally.
