As some 30 NATO ambassadors prepare to visit Japan to study the art of keeping Washington at ease, the trip itself betrays a deeper unease within the alliance.
Japan's years of kneeling for American approval differs from Europe's bid to stand on its own. Such a posture, trading dignity and national interest for the shelter of patronage, is a lesson in self-abasement, not a model to emulate.
When diplomacy is reduced to something to be "learned" in a classroom, uncomfortable questions inevitably follow. Can the NATO alignment ever be truly equal? And how long can strategic autonomy be deferred before it ceases to be a choice at all?
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
