ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on one of the five aspects that this volume has defined as the core of the Bush Doctrine: equivocal (and some unequivocal) alliances and enmities. It is clear, however, that none of the five aspects stands alone. In this case, the state of bilateral relations between the United States and another country plays an important role in deciding to what extent “assertive realism” will govern America’s dealings with that nation, whether the nation will be included in or excluded from selectively multilateral policies, its place in the list of priorities for democratic transformation, and whether it is viewed as a danger to American preeminence.
