This structure harks back to the conditions of NATO’s birth, when it was forged to thwart the Soviet threat to Western civilization. At the time, no one ever doubted that American power – already endowed with nuclear weapons – was the only counterpart.
这样的组成结构当然有其历史的背景，北约是作为抵抗前苏联对西方文明的入侵而建立的。当时，没有人质疑作为西方核大国的美国应该是苏联的唯一对手。也正因为此，美国掌控着整个联盟。