Dean Acheson remarked in the 1950s that Britain lost an empire and had not yet found a role. For the next half-century it found a niche as America’s global lieutenant – harnessing its influence in Washington to punch above its weight elsewhere. Events in Crimea over the past three weeks have underlined how fast even that is fading. Once America’s “go-to” ally, the UK is not even third on today’s priority list. When it comes to handling Vladimir Putin, Germany, France and even Poland rank ahead of David Cameron’s government in Washington.
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