[noetic_techy]

What was the alternative play out? Don't expand NATO and wait for Russia to come roaring back to life with the same authoritarianism but more money?

If anything these recent aggression towards Ukraine should drive other countries on its border to seek out the alliance, or else be invaded if your government doesn't cow-tow to Russia.

A great alternative I once heard was to let these former eastern block counties form their own alliance to counter Russia, but that may have just had the same outcome plus other unintended consequences.