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TheVisionThing
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eventsfrom1989to1991andmarvelsomuchwasachievedwithsolittle
bloodshed.
ButevenGorbachevsenttanksintoLithuaniaandLatviain1991to
quelldemocraticmovements(somethingPresidentBushresolutely
condemned);GermanChancellorHelmutKohlfearedthewindowfor
Germanunificationcouldclosequickly.Peoplesthathadsufferedunder
SovietdominionwerenotwrongtofearRussianrecidivism.
Itishardnowtoreconjurejusthowtentativeprogressfeltinthetime
oftransition,howmuchmighthavebeendifferentifthecoupattemptin
August1991hadnotbeenquashedbyBorisYeltsinanddemocraticforces
inRussia.RemovalofRussiantroopsfromoccupiedcountrieswouldlikely
havestopped,hopesforfreedomcrushed,Germanyforcedtoacceptthe
hardchoiceofunificationorcontinuedNATOmembership(andGermany
wouldalmostcertainlyhavechosenunification),theWestdisentangling
GermanyfromNATOisintegratedmilitarycommandandwithdrawing
troopswestward,subsequentargumentsoverwheretostationthe
325,000AmericantroopsthathadbeeninGermany,debateswithinthe
U.S.aboutwhysoprosperousaEuropecouldnotmarshaltheforcesforits
owndefence.
TherehasbeenamajoreffortbytheRussiangovernmenttoblame
theWestforthedeteriorationofrelations.Inparticular,theyargueNATOis
incorporationofnewmembersfromthosestatesthathadbeensubject
toSovietoccupationtookadvantageofRussiaatatimeofweakness,
encroachingonitssphereofinfluenceandincreasingthethreatofattack
byhostilestatesandmilitaryforcesonitsborders.
AndthereissometruthtotheRussianrecrimination:NATOwouldnot
haveadmittedPoland,Hungary,theCzechRepublicinthe1990s—much
lessBulgaria,Estonia,Slovakia,Slovenia,Latvia,Lithuania,andRomaniain
2004,AlbaniaandCroatiain2009,andMacedoniain2019—ifthealliance
thoughttheRussianresponsewouldbetoinvadethosecountriesorfurther
westward.ButthealliancethoughtRussia,too,wasbecomingWestern.
NATOmovedveryslowlyandworkedveryhardtoreassureRussia
inordertoascertainthattheexpansionwouldnotprovokeanattackby
theSovietUnion.NATOresistedforyearstheclamouringbythenewly
independentstatestobeadmittedtothealliance,createdthePartnership
