Not much has changed (in our Political methods) since Benjamin Franklin negotiated a treaty of alliance between the French and the united colonies and secured loans from the French government which helped finance the American revolution against the British. (Not to mention the French participation at Yorktown).

What did the colonies do later? Even though France was the first superpower to recognize the united colonies as a Sovereign Nation, we turned around and negotiated a treaty with Britain directly (behind France's back) that gave us more than we had hoped for (including land all the way to the Mississippi).