The reviews from NATO's Bucharest summit are all in, and they generally conclude that the United States -- and more specifically, President George W. Bush -- failed. For instance, Bloomberg News headlined the summit this way: "NATO Snubs Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia; Blow to Bush." The New York Times declared, "NATO Allies Oppose Bush on Georgia and Ukraine." And the Boston Globe reported, "Allies Reject Bush's Call for NATO Role for Ukraine, Georgia." It is true that Bush pressed NATO to issue membership action plans (MAP) to these former Soviet republics, but it is just as true that he wanted other things from Bucharest, some of them arguably more important and more urgent than the timing of Ukraine's and Georgia's entry into the bulging alliance.
Success in Bucharest: The Half-a-Loaf Doctrine
