Throughout history, the most powerful countries have often had a hard time finding friends. As a nation grows dominant, others tend to balance against it. Look at Russia’s neighbors in Eastern Europe; countries rushed into NATO the moment the world allowed it. Look at China’s neighborhood in Asia, where Japan, India, Australia, Vietnam and others have steadily tightened their security ties with the United States and each other in response to Beijing’s rise.
Throughout history, the most powerful countries have often had a hard time finding friends. As a nation grows dominant, others tend to balance against it. Look at Russia’s neighbors in Eastern Europe; countries rushed into NATO the moment the world allowed it. Look at China’s neighborhood in Asia, where Japan, India, Australia, Vietnam and others have steadily tightened their security ties with the United States and each other in response to Bei
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