Russia is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Mr. Vladimir Putin is a lame duck president, but he and his country threw a long shadow over the just-completed NATO summit that convened last week in Bucharest, Romania. Not only did Mr. Putin show up uninvited at the NATO heads dinner at the summit's conclusion, but Russian views dominated discussions of key issues on the meeting agenda: NATO expansion and extension of the U.S. missile defense program to Europe. Mr. Putin did not prevail on both issues, but the meeting was a reminder of the striking resurgence of Russian influence and the geopolitical realities it creates.
Last week's meeting promised a clash of two outgoing presidents. U.S. President George W. Bush sought a valedictory final NATO summit, one that would endorse his "freedom agenda" by pushing again the borders of the Atlantic security institution further east. NATO admitted its first three new members in Eastern Europe nearly a decade ago and added seven more in 2002. Those states sought admission to solidify their transitions to democracy, to teach their militaries new habits and to shield themselves from Russian influence. Each new member worried Moscow, which, despite having a special relationship of its own with NATO, interpreted each step as an encroachment into its traditional sphere of influence and the advance of a potentially hostile alliance to its borders.
Last week, NATO agreed to admit Albania and Croatia as its 27th and 28th members. It rejected Macedonia's bid, however, as a result of Greek objections (given the organization's consensus decision making, that was enough). Athens argues Macedonia's name is a threat to its own borders because Greece has a province of the same name. The group also agreed to begin the first step in the membership process with Bosnia and Montenegro. That door was also opened for Serbia.