Americans may find their (old) European allies less pliable than before – but they can at least count on the absence of any serious alternatives for what NATO should become, or what it should do. Europeans can continue to avoid responsibility for their own security, and to invoke the catechism of “NATO, the corner-stone of our security” as a substitute for serious strategic thought.
这一失衡关系对于双方来讲依然还有优势。美国发现其欧洲老盟友们不再像以往一般顺从，但是至少可以放心北约不会的确变得不伦不类。欧洲可以继续避免承担自己的安全责任并且用“北约是我们的安全基石”这一教义取代严肃的战略性思考。