Because the Americans insisted that the new Japan make no provision for defense in its own budget, Japan had no defense burden weighing down its economy.

The Clinton Administration has supported the plan because it furthers its goal of shifting some of the alliance's defense burden to Europe.

She said the government "must reject the false premise that the airlines and their customers can or should bear this national defense burden."

While decrying the trend, the Secretary conceded that the allies should carry a larger share of the defense burden.

While a more self-reliant Europe worries some American officials, others say European unity might make it easier for Washington to shift some of its huge defense burden.

Yet Carthage soon revived under the reforms initiated by Hannibal and, free of defense burdens, prospered as never before.

But we need to develop its political clout, too, so that America can look to its European allies to share more of the defense burden.

The less efficiently Japan spends its own defense funds, the more of its defense burden falls on the United States.

But Administration officials said this week that they intend to reach new agreements in the region that will spread the defense burden between Washington and its allies.

If Washington would cooperate (instead of compete) with allies in funding, developing and deploying common conventional weapons, defense burdens could be not just equalized but even reduced.