US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's division of Europe into "new" and "old" was, above all, a clever ploy that helped the Bush Administration get its way by using the old strategy of "divide and rule." But, although it reflected real differences between established EU members and the newcomers, it also managed to solidify the false impression that the EU's new members share a similar identity and political agenda.
首先，美国国防部长唐纳德•拉姆斯菲尔德将欧洲划分为"新"与"旧"两部分是一个聪明的策略。它帮助布什政府在欧洲继续实施"分而治之"的老战略。然而，这种简单划分虽然反映了欧盟资深成员和新成员之间真正的差别，但也同样强化了一种欧盟新成员（与资深成员）享有相似的身份和政治议程的错误印象。拉姆斯菲尔德的言论具有分裂作用，因为西欧对其欧洲东部另一半的了解似乎还不如美国人。