You are influential in Washington to the extent that you are powerful in Europe - such was the cogent advice given to British leaders by a recent US ambassador in London.
It is an astute observation which remains highly salient for Mr Tony Blair as he welcomes the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, today for a state visit marking the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.
Mr Chirac stirred the pot ahead of the visit in an interview saying he told Mr Blair before the Iraq war it was absolutely necessary to obtain a relaunch of the Middle East peace process in return for Mr Blair's support for Mr Bush on Iraq. "Well," Mr Chirac said, "Britain gave its support but I did not see much in return. I am not sure that it is in the nature of our American friends at the moment to return favours systematically."
Coming on the day when President Bush replaced Mr Colin Powell as Secretary of State with Ms Condoleezza Rice, Mr Chirac's remark is understandable. Last year she told associates that Mr Bush should "punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia" for their hostile policies on Iraq. The appointment seems to bear out Mr Chirac's belief, repeated in this interview, that "the evolution of the world towards a multipolar situation is inevitable. In consequence there will be a great American pole, a great European pole, a Chinese one, an Indian one, eventually a South American pole. These great poles have to live together."
These eminently quotable quotes are matched by those of Mr Blair in the House of Commons yesterday and in his annual London Guildhall speech on foreign policy the night before. The US should secure the support of its international partners as it tries to encourage the spread of democracy, he said. "Multilateralism that works should be its aim. I have no sympathy with unilateralism for its own sake." He said Britain has a "unique role" in relation to both the US and Europe to keep both alliances intact. Neither should be arrogant about the other.
We should be grateful to the two men for formulating their competing visions so clearly. This ought to facilitate an informed public discussion on the subject, not only in Britain and France, but in the rest of Europe and in the US as well. The next four years in the transatlantic relationship are likely to lay down enduring patterns for decades to come. Mr Blair's dilemma is that he remains relatively isolated in Europe in his enthusiasm for maintaining an equal balance between the two alliances - largely because Britain's own European role is unresolved. This means he is less powerful in Europe than he ought to be if he wants to be influential in Washington.