Robert Dujarric argues that in the aftermath of the Georgia conflict, U.S. Russia policy showed alarming incoherence, as Washington failed to coordinate a strong allied response to Moscow’s aggressive moves.

Japan’s brand of patriotism is subdued and largely benign; flag-waving ultranationalists are a fringe spectacle, not a central political force.

In “The Death of U.S. Strategy in Iraq,” Robert Dujarric contends that by mid-2008 the United States had drifted from any coherent grand strategy, relying instead on reactive troop deployments and short-term security fixes rather than integrating military, political, and economic lines of effort.

Tokyo’s slow response will strengthen the arguments of skeptics who doubt that Japan can contribute to global security.

“Unfortunately, Japan’s government may have shown contrition for war crimes, but frequent statements…minimizing the extent of those crimes seriously undermined the credibility of its apologies.”