COPENHAGEN —Two dangerous signals were sent from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Bucharest summit. The first was that Russia has re-established a "sphere of interest" in Europe, where countries are no longer allowed to pursue their own goals without Moscow accepting them. The other was that all NATO member states are free to blackmail their partners into supporting their own narrow goals.
The first signal was sent when Ukraine and Georgia were denied the Membership Action Plan (MAP) that they sought. Several European heavyweights, led by Germany and France, said no, despite strong support for the idea from the United States.
The second signal was sent when Greece successfully vetoed membership for Macedonia, a move that reflected the two countries' unresolved conflict over Macedonia's name (which Greece insists must be Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia — FYROM.