Australia and Japan are both bedrock allies of the United States, founding members of what I call the "Coalition of the willing and able." Along with the UK, and possibly India, they are bulwarks of our new security alliance confronting China, the only potential strategic rival for the United States in a future world that is not unipolar.

It is very good news for us indeed when Australia and Japan deepen their ties, as they seem to be doing, according to this dispatch from The Australian. Although Australia and Japan are contrasts in geography, they are both populated by people with a strong commitment to democracy and a can—do spirit. There is something about countries that take the path of economic and political liberty which nourishes the human spirit. Japan and Australia both partake of it. I love 'em both.

Thomas Lifson   5 28 05