<i>> The lack of any response from Europe or the US beyond some angry words led him to draw an entirely rational conclusion: that the Western alliance would not pose a serious threat to his military conquests.</i><p>That's one way to say it. Another way to say it is Putin got his ass handed to him, thanks to NATO, without a NATO member having to fire a single shot. Seems like a pretty powerful organization to me.
No, you got it all wrong - it's the end of the free lunch! It's the death of Uncle Sucker! The EU has twice the population of America and was once a bigger economy, so why should Americans have to fund the careless and luxurious lifestyle of Europeans?! Enough is enough!