Shield repealed: US drops anti-missile plans

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

http://russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-09-17/us-drops-anti-missile.html

The US will shelve its plans for a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. The decision has been confirmed by the Czech Republic’s prime minister Jan Fischer.

The move will signify a major reversal in policy from the Bush administration, which was adamant on installing the shield in Eastern Europe.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the issue, the decision is based on findings that Iran's long-range missile program has not progressed as rapidly as previously estimated, reducing the threat to the US and major European capitals.

“Should such a decision be made, it would be a positive step in the progress of Russian-American relations,” ITAR-TASS quoted the source in Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying. The Ministry also notes it is waiting for an official confirmation of the reports.

The head of Russia’s State Duma Committee for International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev says it could be a clear sign of a constructive dialogue between the two countries:

“It’s a clear sign that the US is taking Russia and its arguments as seriously as their national security considerations. I’m sure that the cooperation between the countries in the field of strategic security is more effective for both Russia and the US than any AMD, any armed forces, or any military operation.”

This new development comes after a 60 day review ordered by President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, the AMD-related negotiations held this Thursday between the Polish officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the delegation from the United States have come to an end, RIA Novosti reports. No details have been disclosed at this stage.

Earlier on Thursday, Poland’s media reported that task of the US delegates in their country was to notify their Polish counterparts of Washington’s intentions to withdraw its plans to build the AMD base with interceptors in their country.

“I knew this was going to happen,” said RT’s political commentator Peter Lavelle, commenting on the report. “[The US AMD shield] is too expensive, it doesn’t work, and it’s not necessary, and there was no reason to alienate Russia. Obama is making a good decision right here – not only for US-Russia relations, but dealing with Iran in general.”

The US anti-missile shield was always strongly opposed by Moscow, which perceived it as a threat to its own security.

It also faced opposition from many of the local residents in both Poland and the Czech Republic.

[KCIndy]

:rolleyes:


I was never in favor of p*ssing away more billions of dollars on a "missile shield" to defend Europe (let 'em work out their own defense, and pay for it, too!) but I found these almost back-to-back lines from the article quite amusing:


http://russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-09-17/us-drops-anti-missile.html

“I knew this was going to happen,” said RT’s political commentator Peter Lavelle, commenting on the report. “[The US AMD shield] is too expensive, it doesn’t work....

.....The US anti-missile shield was always strongly opposed by Moscow, which perceived it as a threat to its own security.


Okay... if it really "doesn't work" then why would it be a threat to Moscow's security??

[jmdrake]

It all depends on the definition of "working". Would a missile shield in its present design stop a full throttle throw everything in but the kitchen sink attack from Russia? No. Might it work "good enough" to embolden hawks who have up until this point been held at bay by M.A.D.? Possibly. Could it make a difference in a more limited conventional war such as a border skirmish? Most definitely. Say if NATO had decided to run to the defense of Georgia after it picked a fight with Russia by invading South Ossetia? That's a scenario where Moscow might not launch an "everything but the kitchen sink" attack, but where missile defense might make a difference. To counter that Moscow would have to build up their conventional missile forces to be able to overwhelm such a system and/or come up with other schemes to overcome the shield. That means spending money they don't have to counter something that we build using money we don't have. The only winners are the bankers.