Yes, Jack. Russia has been an international partner of the USA in most respects that matter since the fall of the Soviet Union. They are referred to as an "ally" now.

China is one of the USA's biggest trading partners. Go check it out at your local stores.

Following Sep 11 America had partners (and sympathetic ones) in the whole developed world, and most of the rest of the world. That is not the case now. The Bush administration has squandered the goodwill of most of the World.

I picked those five because they are the most important and influential players...except that you are quite correct that I should have included Japan in the list. Japan is a major player, economically speaking and technologically speaking.

What you've fairly much got now in the World is the separation of the English-speaking nations from most of rest of the World, with the English-speaking nations embarking on a self-serving road to war, political anarchy, and disaster. Canada has had the wisdom not to engage in the latest round of hostilities...so far.

- LH