No one knows what America is going to do next, and since the U.S. is still the single irreplaceable member of the Western alliance, the Western alliance doesn’t know what to do. But it’s only an alliance if the U.S. shows up, and I’m not sure we can take it for granted that it would. This year, for the first time, Japan is sending military forces to participate. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump China gets 91% of its Oil from the Straight, Japan 62%, & many other countries likewise. It is absolutely remarkable that the Western alliance is functioning at all.

Source: National Post June 28, 2019 17:51 UTC