Anne Applebaum

That now seems crazy, but that was a moment of high optimism in the 90s and 2000s when that felt possible. And so the question that you have to ask is why didn't it happen? And why did the Russians reject that path? And why were their neighbors so frightened of them? The U.S. was not the power that wanted to expand NATO. It was coming from those states. They wanted protection.

That now seems crazy, but that was a moment of high optimism in the 90s and 2000s when that felt possible. And so the question that you have to ask is why didn't it happen? And why did the Russians reject that path? And why were their neighbors so frightened of them? The U.S. was not the power that wanted to expand NATO. It was coming from those states. They wanted protection.

That now seems crazy, but that was a moment of high optimism in the 90s and 2000s when that felt possible. And so the question that you have to ask is why didn't it happen? And why did the Russians reject that path? And why were their neighbors so frightened of them? The U.S. was not the power that wanted to expand NATO. It was coming from those states. They wanted protection.

They wanted to be part of Western clubs. They wanted to integrate with Europe. And they were afraid of Russia. And they've been afraid of Russia since the 90s. So people who don't know the history of NATO expansion and who don't understand the sequence of events and why it happened... are accepting a Russian narrative about why it happened.

They wanted to be part of Western clubs. They wanted to integrate with Europe. And they were afraid of Russia. And they've been afraid of Russia since the 90s. So people who don't know the history of NATO expansion and who don't understand the sequence of events and why it happened... are accepting a Russian narrative about why it happened.

They wanted to be part of Western clubs. They wanted to integrate with Europe. And they were afraid of Russia. And they've been afraid of Russia since the 90s. So people who don't know the history of NATO expansion and who don't understand the sequence of events and why it happened... are accepting a Russian narrative about why it happened.

It did not happen because those states were aggressive towards Russia. It happened because they were afraid of Russia. The other thing you need to know is that until 2014, there were no U.S. troops and very few NATO facilities of any kind in Eastern Europe. There was no expansion. There was no movement of troops into Poland.

It did not happen because those states were aggressive towards Russia. It happened because they were afraid of Russia. The other thing you need to know is that until 2014, there were no U.S. troops and very few NATO facilities of any kind in Eastern Europe. There was no expansion. There was no movement of troops into Poland.

It did not happen because those states were aggressive towards Russia. It happened because they were afraid of Russia. The other thing you need to know is that until 2014, there were no U.S. troops and very few NATO facilities of any kind in Eastern Europe. There was no expansion. There was no movement of troops into Poland.

I mean, none of that happened until the invasion of Crimea, which really scared people for the first time. And people said, right, the Russians are serious. They could really invade and we need to be protected. Even then, a lot of it was pretty superficial. Even up until 2022, when the second full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, there was still pretty scarce NATO facilities in Eastern Europe.

I mean, none of that happened until the invasion of Crimea, which really scared people for the first time. And people said, right, the Russians are serious. They could really invade and we need to be protected. Even then, a lot of it was pretty superficial. Even up until 2022, when the second full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, there was still pretty scarce NATO facilities in Eastern Europe.

I mean, none of that happened until the invasion of Crimea, which really scared people for the first time. And people said, right, the Russians are serious. They could really invade and we need to be protected. Even then, a lot of it was pretty superficial. Even up until 2022, when the second full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, there was still pretty scarce NATO facilities in Eastern Europe.

I mean, that is now beginning to change. I mean, you've now had a big military buildup in several of the eastern states, including Poland. but also others. But that is coming because people are afraid of Russia. They are afraid of being invaded. They're afraid of their own cities being destroyed. Some are under economic pressure from Russia.

I mean, that is now beginning to change. I mean, you've now had a big military buildup in several of the eastern states, including Poland. but also others. But that is coming because people are afraid of Russia. They are afraid of being invaded. They're afraid of their own cities being destroyed. Some are under economic pressure from Russia.

I mean, that is now beginning to change. I mean, you've now had a big military buildup in several of the eastern states, including Poland. but also others. But that is coming because people are afraid of Russia. They are afraid of being invaded. They're afraid of their own cities being destroyed. Some are under economic pressure from Russia.

Some of the other tactics that I describe in the book, I mean, there's big Russian propaganda campaigns all over Europe. There's a Russian sabotage campaign in Europe now. There have been arson attacks and bombs. So people are now perceived that Russia is looking for ways to put political and economic and eventually maybe military pressure on Russia. Europe.

Some of the other tactics that I describe in the book, I mean, there's big Russian propaganda campaigns all over Europe. There's a Russian sabotage campaign in Europe now. There have been arson attacks and bombs. So people are now perceived that Russia is looking for ways to put political and economic and eventually maybe military pressure on Russia. Europe.

Some of the other tactics that I describe in the book, I mean, there's big Russian propaganda campaigns all over Europe. There's a Russian sabotage campaign in Europe now. There have been arson attacks and bombs. So people are now perceived that Russia is looking for ways to put political and economic and eventually maybe military pressure on Russia. Europe.

And so Europeans are gearing up to defend themselves. Is it what people wanted? It is not. You know, is it popular in every country? It is not. Do Europeans want to pay for armies? No, they don't. Nobody wants to pay for an army. As I said, they want to pay for health care and parks.

And so Europeans are gearing up to defend themselves. Is it what people wanted? It is not. You know, is it popular in every country? It is not. Do Europeans want to pay for armies? No, they don't. Nobody wants to pay for an army. As I said, they want to pay for health care and parks.