I can see a state’s colonial possessions affecting relations in dramatically due to the power imbalance brought upon by it. Before Britain emerged as the colonial power, various nations contended with Britain such as Spain, France, and even Portugal. This soured relations greatly with some of these major and minor powers as tensions arose abroad over land. As an example, when the British took New Amsterdam it hurt relations severely, and tensions that escalated in the French Indian war. These examples are plentiful and definitely affected relations in Europe! Hope this helps.