Il momento di svolta è stato molto tempo fa, alla fine della guerra fredda. Ecco che cosa preoccupava gli americani nel 1988 (https://time.com/archive/6701396/the-gorbachev-challenge)

Bush’s most immediate challenge is to preserve NATO unity in the face of dwindling adversity. Likewise, Gorbachev’s immediate challenge will be to see how far he can go in Eastern Europe toward a system based on “freedom of choice,” rather than the “threat of force,” without the Warsaw Pact disintegrating.

But there is an even more complex challenge that Gorbachev presents to Bush with his U.N. speech: the long-term Battle for Europe that is destined to dominate the 1990s. By the end of 1992, Western Europe’s integration into a unified market should be formal even if not complete; the result will be not only a powerful economic system but also a more potent political player. Similarly, some East European nations are likely to be spreading their economic wings and learning to fly from Moscow’s nest, perhaps even as limited partners in the European Community.

L'Unione europea avrebbe potuto essere una parte in causa. Invece ha preferito essere una preda in quella che gli USA chiamavano "battle for Europe". "For" e non "of", per tacere di "battle".

The Gorbachev Challenge

He came, he spoke, he conquered. But his enticing call for a kinder, gentler world provides an opportunity for Bush: to recapture the initiative by offering an American vision for ending the cold war

TIME (time.com)

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