"That fear turned out to be well grounded. European governments discovered that it didn't matter how little they spent on the military or respected America's priorities. Washington would keep them secure. NATO's European members broke promises to devote more money to the military, built a natural-gas pipeline to the Soviet Union, aided Washington's enemies in Latin America and blocked overflight by U.S. planes to bomb Libya. But the United States continued to defend the continent."
Scratches to Sketches