http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1826978,00.html

Andrew Rawnsley in today's Observer argues that the Prime Minister's relentless cosying up to the White House actually diminishes rather than enhances the UK's standing when it comes to serious international issues like the current war being waged by Israel on southern Lebanon with a view to crippling Hezbollah.

One can easily see why successive PMs have decided that it's better to be with the world's only superpower than against them but will that power decline as China and India become economic powerhouses? Will it decline as Islamist nations rise up against them? It's difficult to say - there's no doubt that the US still has a massive military and diplomatic influence on world affairs but Rawnsley's view that 'Britain has ended up looking like an unconditional supporter of - at best as an awkward apologist for - the United States' is hard to argue with.

The PM would argue that it is a price worth paying to maintain some kind of position of influence on the world stage as Britain's status continues to decline. There are many who share that view but to what extent does it imperil us if we're implicated by association with crimes like Guantanamo Bay?