21.   But the same NATO officials say that the more NATO becomes a political talking shop, instead of a military alliance, the better it could be for Moscow.

22.   China showed the way by reaffirming its military alliance with the North while urging it to become nuclear-free.

23.   China would regard such a move as the establishment of a military alliance between the United States and Taiwan, Wang said.

24.   Clinton favors a more deliberate approach, but he is headed in the same mistaken direction of making a Cold War military alliance the centerpiece for European unity.

25.   Coming immediately after Russia endured the humiliation of watching the NATO military alliance advance nearly to its borders, the political freight was especially heavy for Yeltsin.

26.   Defense officials believe that the unfavorable views arise in part because idea of joining a military alliance brings back sour memories of Russian troops stationed in Hungary.

27.   Do they realize, in the West, how the idea of extending this military alliance affects vast segments of Russian public opinion?

28.   Extending the power of a military alliance and augmenting American influence in Europe is dubious moral justification for waging war.

29.   For countries struggling to develop market economies, proponents said this was a more logical step than joining a military alliance.

30.   For countries struggling to develop market economies, proponents said, this was a more logical step than joining a military alliance.