America's friends will never trust the US again

"We respectfully suggest...," the letter says. It was sent by a group representing more than 300 veterans of American diplomacy, intelligence and national security and addressed to the leaders of the intelligence committees in the Senate and House.

- ANDREAS KLUTH

For a fleeting moment, I thought—hoped?—that I was reading a Swiftian satire in the tradition of A Modest Proposal. Then it hit me with full force that the entreaty was dead serious and reflected what I and other observers of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump have been worrying about for months.

The letter asks Congress to demand a classified intelligence assessment that answers questions such as the following: Whether America's allies believe the US remains a stable democracy; whether they regard the US as a reliable partner; whether they're hedging their security by seeking alternative alliances without the US; and even whether they're developing contingency plans for wars "in which they might, for the first time in generations, have to fight against US forces if America were to align with Russia against Nato or Ukraine, for example." Let that sink in.

Such an intelligence assessment, of course, stands a snowball's chance in hell. The relevant committees are controlled by Republicans, who are in thrall to Mr. Trump. So is the so-called intelligence community that would execute the analysis. But the concerns are out there and becoming more urgent with every news cycle. Consider those military drones that Russia just sent into Poland, where Nato jets shot them down. It appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin was testing Nato's air defenses, crisis procedures and resolve.