At the Cold War’s end, East European countries did not try to form local alliances, as they did in the 1920’s, but looked toward Brussels as the magnet for their futures. Similarly, countries like Turkey and Ukraine have adjusted their policies because they are attracted to Europe.
最近的挫折所带来的一个危险就是欧盟扩张停滞不前。冷战末期，东欧国家并没有像他们在1920年代所做的那样试图形成一个当地联盟，而是把欧共体总部看作吸引他们未来的磁场。同样地，诸如土耳其、乌克兰等国也调整了他们的政策，因为他们也被欧洲所吸引。对进一步扩张的反对之声所暗示的软力量缺失对欧洲、巴尔干半岛地区和国际稳定而言，都是一个大挫。