The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has condemned growing anti-Americanism as madness.
He was speaking to a joint sitting of both houses of the Australian parliament in Canberra.
Mr Blair said none of the problems confronting the international community could be resolved or even contemplated without the involvement of the world's only superpower.
"I do not always agree with the United States. Sometimes they can be difficult friends to have. But the strain of frankly anti-American feeling in parts of European and world politics is madness when set against the long term interests of the world we believe in."
He said "The danger with America is not that they are too much involved. The danger is that they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved. We want them engaged."