In American eyes, the Kosovo war in 1999 demonstrated NATO’s glaring and myriad shortcomings, while the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, moved America still further away from the Alliance, particularly after President George W. Bush disparagingly rejected NATO’s offer of help. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld even tried to use divide-and-rule tactics by pitting “New” Europe against the “Old” Europe led by France and Germany, which opposed the Iraq war.
萨科齐的策略可能会行得通，因为美国也改变了。在美国人的眼中，1999年的科索沃战争反映了北约的种种软肋，而2001年9月11日的恐怖袭击更使得美国与北约渐行渐远，特别是在布什总统轻蔑地拒绝了北约的援助之后。前防长拉姆斯菲尔德甚至试图采用“分而治之”的办法，在“新”欧洲和法、德领导的，反对伊拉克战争的“老”欧洲之间制造对抗。