In the heyday of American dominance, European governments profited doubly: they were part of a powerful West and courted as a potential counterweight to US dominance by third countries. If they dissented from US positions, this did not seriously impair the West’s strategic efficacy because American power was more than sufficient to compensate.
美国长时间衰落将导致欧洲也会变弱。在美国优势地位的全盛期，欧洲各国政府获得了双倍的利益：他们既是强大的西方社会的一分子，又被第三世界国家视为牵制美国的潜在势力。即便他们不附和美国的立场，也不会严重削弱西方的战略效力，因为美国的力量够强，完全能够弥补。