U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama once predicted that the end of the Cold War would usher in an age when economic power would be the source of national strength. It seems his prophesy was off because of the policy stance of the Bush administration.
The prediction was highly encouraging for Japan, which has no choice but to depend on economic power for its national strength. But Washington's "neocons" believe that military power and its use are the source of national strength, and tend to consider international relations in the context of confrontations between "a strong America and a weak Europe."
A decade after the Cold War ended, serious discord has developed in the Christian civilization of the West. The rift has yet to become irreparable perhaps because Britain has never wavered from its pro-U.S. policy. I don't understand why Britain has been so loyal to the United States. A major question for Japanese diplomacy is: Will it continue its traditional pro-U.S. stance, or will it shift to a multilateral diplomacy with more emphasis on East Asia?