After many threats and much saber-rattling in the past few weeks, Vladimir Putin has come out with a compromise on the missile shield that just might work. During meetings with President Bush, President Putin remained vehemently opposed to placing portions of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, but said that he would have no objection to putting the system in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a democratic, secular government that borders Iran on the North, it is located in the Caucasus Mountains. It also borders Armenia, Turkey, Russia and Georgia.
If the US (and the Azerbaijan) government agree to this, then Putin shows Russia that he still calls the shots in what may and may not happen in the former USSR (it is after all election season in Russia).
Strategically, this may even be a better location for the sites. You can put the radar installations on top of one of those 4000 meter tall mountains and put the missile sites behind the mountains where they would be protected from attack. This site would also allow more territory to be protected, extending protection to most of Asia as well as Europe. This is all based on a missile attack coming from the Middle-East, but it should work for missiles fired from Southeast Asia too.
It would however be less effective on missiles fired from Russia and China ... but supposedly these two countries weren't the reason given for the shield. We shall see.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
By George ... Putin's Idea May Work
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9 comments:
Hmmmm, that sounds dandy! I totally believe China and Russia, we shouldn't even put them in the equation!
jenny ... Russia and China aren't dangerous ... are they?
Do you mean to say that governments that disagree are still able to talk things out!?! Sorry we just have not seen that in a while.
sarah ... oh yes, they can talk things out ... but politics always seems to get in the way.
This sounds like John Kerry politics,,,,Lets ask foreign governments what our foriegn policy should be and how we should react to our National security....shall we....??? I do not agree with your logic, Sorry....
I don't like the idea of building ANYTHING inside "Soviet" territory. I do NOT trust the old Communists [Soviets] and I do NOT trust the new/old Communists from China. tlrb
discussion and caring about other peoples and governments opinions is not a weak foregin policy.
Everyone knows that compromise and acting for the good eof everyone is one of the most challegning things a person or country or government can do. It seems to me that to truly embrace a kind of political globalism which will embolden the current economic globalism that makes this country so wealthy will be difficult but is necessary. Especially when it comes to nuclear weapons. One nuclear weapon attack anywhere effects us all everywhere, thus we must be making decissions together when possible and that means talking with not to China and Russia.
Since i am on a long rant I might add, The United States is no longer seen by the global community as a country that leads the world in policies both foreign and domestic. Considering this los of respect and trust and the fact that we have dropped the first strick policy and hold nuclear weapons other countries should be requiring discussion with us when we disagree to other countries doing similar things in their own countries. We just do not have the street cred we used to.
Remember when Reagen wanted the Star Wars Project (missiles in space pointed downward)?
It's a familiar ring.
Oh Goody ... Political Debate
tapline ... I believe Putin may be calling our bluff. This very reasonable alternate site will be able to accomplish our stated mission of defending Europe from Iranian missiles better than having the site in Poland. It will also be cheaper since we would have joint use of the Azebaijan/Russian radar site already there and not have to build a new one in the Czech Republic. If the US balks at this alternative, it will just confirm Russia's fear that it was also a defense against them. The Russians have always been excellant chess players.
tlrb ... a GREAT AMERICAN once said, "Trust ... but verify", I believe he was YOUR President. I've been doing a little research and the Azerbaijani government is actually one of the success stories of former Soviet Bloc countries.
sarah ... WOW ... guess we know your "hot button" now. The Greater Good is what all governments are supposed to be working for, but tapline and tlrb have a darker (and unfortunately more realistic view of the world). It is only when the "greater good" and the good of a particular world leader or leaders intersect that anything gets accomplished. That being said, diplomacy is based on getting those things to intersect and truely great diplomats are any countries greatest assets. Now, to answer the last part of your rant ... I personally don't care how other countries see the United States (yes, I'm a bad boy and deserve to be whipped), I only care that our government acts in the best interests of its' citizens. If we can act in the best interests of the World, and by doing so, in no way harm ourselves ... then of course we should do it. We may have lost our "street cred" with some elements overseas, but we are still a country that millions of people would love to move to (including the 12 million already here illegally). Did this constitute retorical rant?
mike ... Reagan's SDI (Strategic Defence Initiative) or "Star Wars" was brilliant. I wish we wouldn't have abandoned it after the fall of communism ... though space based weapons were a no starter. We had already signed treaties that prohibited space based weapons ... and satelites are too easy to destroy.
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