Tonga: Where Are the Americans?

A plume rises over Tonga when the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by Japan Meteorological Agency, and released by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), on Jan. 15, 2022. (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)/Handout via Reuters)

Commentary

Sometimes you get more than one chance to make a first impression. So it is with the United States and Tonga—the small but important nation in the South Pacific that recently was hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami.