Russian military ups the ante on missile defense: Russia's top military officer has threatened to carry out a pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial plan to build a missile shield.President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile defense system.
Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov went even further Thursday. "A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens," he said at an international conference attended by senior U.S. and NATO officials. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov also warned on Thursday that talks between Moscow and Washington on the topic are "close to a dead end."
Nato to move ahead with missile shield: “It is the first step, but a real step, toward providing full coverage for all Nato populations, territory and forces in Europe,” he wrote. However, the alliance and Russia have failed to reach a compromise on the system, which Russia fears would thwart its nuclear deterrent despite Nato assurances that it is aimed at Iran and other threats.
Moscow has demanded legally-binding guarantees that the missile shield will not undermine its arsenal, but Nato refuses to enter into such an agreement and has instead offered political reassurances. Ratcheting up the heat, Russia warned this month that it might have to deploy new missiles in Europe to potentially take out elements of the controversial shield.Russian Chief of Staff General Nikolai Makarov said one option was for Russia to station short-range Iskander missiles in its Kaliningrad enclave near Poland.
Now what? Bush was using the missile defense shield to instigate Russia to war! Putting it in Czechoslovakia was by no means the best position for the system. Britain more than once expressed an interest in having it on their soil. They were flatly refused. I have always agreed with Russia that putting the system on the door step was a direct affront to them and was targeted at them. Putin had expressed his concerns vehemently. Russia even suggested working on the system jointly and of course was flatly refused.
I had high hopes for cooperation even before Obama met with his Russian counterpart and hinted that depending on Russia's stance he might be amenable to altering Bush's plan for a sedentary missile shield in Czechoslovakia and Poland. It was not even known if That MDS worked as we were told it did. It had never been tested in a realistic multiple fire missile situation which in fact is what would be encountered.
Obama did consult our allies including Czechoslovakia and Poland and let them know we would still be there for them. Despite the negative rhetoric we were hearing from the likes of Partisan war monger John McCain Europe is not now in danger and Czechoslovakia and Poland betrayed but once again quite the opposite is true or so we thought. If you remember. if the MDS was to be deployed there Russia had threatened long ago to once again turn its nuclear missiles in their direction.
Russia had even volunteered to stop work on their own missile defense shield. Remember this? Nato chief proposes missile shield to include Russia
Also Russia has said it wants to take part in the proposed NATO-backed anti-missile shield in Europe. What happened to that?
Remember when speaking at a conference in Brussels NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for a new missile defense system that would protect the US and its allies, and include Russia as well? What happened to that?
I hate to say it but like Russia I do believe they are the prime target of our so called missile defense system. If not, why are we so insistent on putting it right at Russia's doorstep? England offered to have it there but we said no. Why not?
I still have faith that all the missile defense shield issues will be worked out. When all is said and done I am afraid it will be necessary but I am afraid circumvented one way or the other. With Bush we knew war was the goal but I have faith in Obama. He is still the community organizer that is why he has been very successful around the world.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment