why they were so eager to join nato, they wanted that article five treaty protection. and even more eager to join the eu because they want to be economic benefits of joining the eu. of course, there are those, tom friedman in yesterday's new york times, criticizing the nato expansion, saying that at the moment that the soviet union had collapsed, and russian pride was ground into -- was been ground down, and people like vladimir putin, of course, we're grieving for the fall of the soviet empire. the follow the berlin wall, where he had been in charge of the kgb in east germany for so long. that was the worst time to then begin reaching nato expansion, because that was ending any hope that russia and the united states and nato could ever work peacefully together. i'm not sure i agree with that.