No one was surprised when Obama announced that he was abandoning the Bush plan to base missile defense systems in eastern Europe. This issue has been a point of contention between the US and Russia. Russia claimed that this missile defense system would neutralize its nuclear arsenal, and the US claimed that it was only building the missile defense system to protect itself from a nuclear attack originating in a rouge state in the middle east (Iran and Syria and Iraq in 20 years). So this dialogue between a superpower and a former superpower has gone back and forth. Russia threatened to station missiles (that can hit any location in the world) closer to Poland than they already are, but the US continued to move forward with its plan.
Now the President has decided that the American people only kind of need to be protected from nuclear missiles. This decision was made with the idea that it would lubricate relations (he he he) between the United States and Russia while sea-based missile defenses would be expanded. The kicker, is that relations between the US and Russia really aren’t all that bad. Russia recently agreed to allow US military supply convoys to use territory controlled by Russia to supply our soldiers in Afghanistan. So Obama has failed to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
Although relations with Russia have been strained over the last few years, none of the subtle violations of national sovereignty or excessive military posturing that characterized the Cold War have been common. Putin created a Russia that is eager to once again be feared and respected by the rest of the world. Russia has tightened its ties with Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba. Russia also invaded Georgia and is once again striving to rival the United State’s strength and global influence. This is not a Russia who wants to build trust, good will, or warm fuzzy feelings between itself and the rest of the world. This is a Russia that wants to be perceived as strong.
At best Obama’s most recent foreign policy move is naive. At worst it is a mistake that will not just make the United States appear weak, but it will actually make us weaker. A missile defense system could potentially stop a nuclear warhead from reaching a major city in Europe or the US and killing millions of people. It doesn’t make sense to endanger national security in a significant and tangible way in order to appease a government that has no interest in being appeased.
We have defeated Russia in the Cold War (admittedly we still haven’t payed most of the bills for the massive military build up that bankrupted the Kremlin, but that is another discussion for another time) and we can do it again. The point is that the Communist/socialist system in Russia collapsed and the good ol’ US of A is still here and going strong… but of course a few well aimed nuclear missiles could change that.
Thanks for mentioning the missile shield’s ineffectiveness against Russian nukes, even if it is irrelevant. Portraying the United States as imperialistic is always a tough one to refute, so I won’t, however, the United States has the right to defend its interests and allies anywhere in the world. Also, should Iran or Syria develop missiles with enough range to reach the continental United States a missile defense shield would be a vital for US security. If Iran or Syria were to be invaded missiles launched into eastern Europe would almost certainly be launched on civilian targets. These countries don’t posses the sophisticated guidance systems needed to attack fortified, isolated military targets.
In regards to the Georgia/ Russia conflict: I am fully aware of what transpired when Georgia seized south Ossetia. Thats not really what this article is about so I won’t spend much time on it here either. This situation was used as an example of Russia invading a sovereign nation that was friendly to the US. The point wasn’t that Georgia was a wonderful country, the point was that this is not a Russia that is a friend of peace. Yes, Russia did invade. Russia took control of much more of Georgia than just South Ossetia. And yes, the oil pipeline is a probably cause for the invasion.
Why would the US need an air base in Georgia? When the US invaded Iraq many of its bombers took off from Germany. There are also aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean.
The point of this article is that Obama giving in to Russian demands will make the US appear weak and will not do anything to help US-Russian relations in the long run. Foreign policy experts seem to be fairly evenly divided on this issue. John Bolton has had a lot of good stuff to say on this issue. Gates obviously agrees with the President’s decision, and I respect his views, but in this case I disagree.
Russia has been try to check America’s aggression during the Bush years. The Bush Administration’s preemptive/imperialistic strategy with Middle Eastern countries is what strained our relationship with Russia. We were threatening a lot of their trading partners. The missile shield in eastern Europe was an aggressive move because it made another American invasion into Iran or Syria more acceptable to American allies in Europe who would be one of the few targets Iran/Syria could shoot for in retaliation. It in no way made Americans thousands of miles away safer. It’s also pretty unlikely that the missile shield would be affective against Russian nukes because they could send far too many missiles to be shot down, and arm them with multiple warheads.
Research more into what really happened in Georgia. Russia did not invade. Georgia invaded South Ossetia with American and Israeli support and Russia responded. There is a strategic oil pipeline under Russian control in the area that was probably the target of the invasion. There was also some intel that leaked out claiming that the incident was going to be used to begin a larger conflict which would include Iran. The American or Israeli air force was going to use Georgian air bases to launch an airstrike on Iran. The swift Russian response caught them off guard and thwarted their plans.
You only get a friend by being a friend. We have continually screwed or tried to screw Russia since the end of WWll, so if you weren’t so arrogant you could see why ther’e not our friend. You would not let America of our country and people for another country’s agenda. DUH.