With Friends Like These: How America’s Allies Pay the Price for Loyalty
From Europe to Canada, and beyond—Washington’s ‘America First’ doctrine has left a trail of betrayed allies and broken promises.
When Henry Kissinger said, "It’s dangerous to be America’s enemy, but fatal to be America’s friend," it wasn’t a quip—it was a prophecy. The post-World War II order, dominated by the United States, promised a liberal, rules-based world order. But in reality, America’s commitment to its allies has always come with a catch: unconditional alignment with U.S. interests—or else.
Take Canada, one of the closest cultural, economic, and military allies of the United States. Despite sharing the longest undefended border in the world, Canada has been strong-armed repeatedly by Washington. From the NAFTA renegotiation under Trump that turned into a trade trap, to recent threats of tariffs and economic pressure if Canada doesn’t align with U.S. military procurement policies or trade preferences, America’s approach has been nothing short of coercive. Ottawa now faces a grim choice: fall in line with Washington’s “Buy American” mandates—or risk economic retaliation.
Europe hasn’t fared much better. NATO, once hailed as the backbone of Western defense, has become a bargaining chip. Successive American administrations have threatened to abandon the alliance unless European nations dramatically increase their defense spending—most of which would be directed toward purchasing U.S.-made weapons. This is not collective security; this is a protection racket dressed as partnership.
Let’s rewind. Post-WWII, the U.S. promised Marshall Plan aid to rebuild Europe—not out of pure benevolence, but to prevent communist influence and expand markets for U.S. goods. When France dared oppose the Iraq War in 2003, America retaliated symbolically (remember “freedom fries”?) and politically. Germany, too, faced Washington's wrath for opposing that war—a war now widely recognized as a geopolitical disaster based on false intelligence.
In the Middle East, the betrayal is even more brutal. Iran was once a staunch U.S. ally under the Shah—until the 1979 revolution, fueled in part by resentment over Washington’s interference. Pakistan was once America’s frontline partner in the Cold War and later the War on Terror, receiving billions in aid—until the U.S. pivoted to India and began publicly humiliating Islamabad as a double-dealer. Even as the U.S. exited Afghanistan, it did so by cutting backdoor deals with the Taliban, leaving Pakistan, its long-time “non-NATO ally,” in the cold.
And then there’s Taiwan—a tiny island caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war. The U.S. supplies it with arms and vocal support but refuses to formally recognize it as a sovereign state, in order to avoid Beijing’s full-scale wrath. That’s not partnership—it’s a pawn being pushed to the edge of the board.
India should pay close attention too. While Washington flatters New Delhi as a strategic counterweight to China, history warns that the U.S. does not do permanent alliances—only temporary alignments. Today’s Quad could be tomorrow’s cold shoulder if India refuses to play ball on trade, human rights, or defense purchases.
The pattern is unmistakable: the U.S. cultivates allies when it suits its agenda, and discards them the moment the cost outweighs the benefit. Whether it’s Latin America, the Gulf, Southeast Asia, or Eastern Europe, America’s “friendship” is transactional.
The world must accept a hard truth: The United States does not have allies—it has clients. And clients who don’t toe the line are expendable. For nations like India, Pakistan, and Taiwan, this is not a warning. It’s a forecast. Bet your national interest solely on Washington, and you risk becoming the next faded photo in America’s diplomatic scrapbook.
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