By Larry Marsh, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist
The White House is expected to reveal today that it will drop its plans to put anti-ballistic missiles in Poland and a missile detection radar station in the Czech Republic. If this marks the end of the cold-war strategy of isolating Russia, it could have profound effects on both US-Russian relations and Russian politics.
Old generals are always preparing for the last war, in this case the cold-war. More often than not, such thinking is a distraction from focusing on new threats, in this case Iran. Thinking of Russia as another "evil empire" is at best naive and at worst a recipe for disaster. It has also caused Russia and the United States to follow foolish policies.
The timing of this decision could not be better with Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev just starting to sort out who will be Russia's next president.
The United States has too often reverted to its cold war strategy of isolating Russia instead of encouraging Russia to work toward joining the World Trade Organization and eventually the European Union.
Russia, for its part, has followed policies that will undermine its own long-term stability in both politics and economics. Every far-sighted country needs to provide for the peaceful overthrow of of its own government. It's not just that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" but that a government in power too long runs out of fresh ideas and loses touch with the people. Suppressing debate and discussion in a free press allows too few people to dominate government policies for far too long. Medvedev's chances of remaining president and taking Russia in a more open, productive and friendly direction will be enhanced by the Obama decision.
Both Russia and the United States have followed foolish energy policies in recent years. The United States assumed that oil and natural gas prices wouldn't rise too much while Russia planned for higher carbon fuel prices.
To gain immediate advantage Putin directed Russia to reverse energy privatization in Russia through direct and indirect means. Government revenues in Russia are largely dependent on oil and gas. What economists call the "Dutch disease" makes a country's non-fuel exports exorbitantly expensive in world markets when its currency's value is driven up by the demand for its oil and gas. This prevents a country from developing and diversifying its economy. Petro-dictatorships develop when a country becomes too dependent on its carbon fuel exports.
Putin's strategy is very short-sighted. Hopefully Medvedev will gain the upper hand and take Russia in a wiser direction with a new long-term strategy.
Obama and Medvedev need to work together to help Russia prepare to join the WTO and eventually the EU by diversifying its economy and encouraging independent news media to allow for viable alternative political parties in Russia.
Obama's decision to drop the nuclear missile shield could have potentially far-reaching consequences. We can only hope that it will truly reset Russian-American relations and be just the beginning of changes in key Russian and American policies.
For more Larry Marsh commentary go to Twitter or Academia.edu.
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Uhhhh...I think the good Professor has been in
academia for far too long. It is symptomatic of our educational system for professors (not all) to have very biased and liberal slant towards the world at large and the United States in particular. He pretty much establishes his bona fides when he starts using Michael Moore as a source. You can’t get much more biased than that.
Been waiting for the
mikey moore crowd to come out, he is a great source for facts. That ignorance brings laughter to a tough day. And the ex-professor who equates a short range missle defense system (which is out dated now) with an ICBM missle defense. His poor uninformed students.
Weakness
the choice is definitely a rational one.
We need "a peaceful overthrow of the wasteful and budget busting star wars plans here," and busting George Bush's idiotic Defense Missile Shield in Europe is a wise federal budget deficit saver of immense economic value.
And our Patriot missile interceptors have proved during repeated use by Israelis that they are just budget busters, but totally ineffective as missile busters!
The Epilogue of the European Missile Shield Program? A white elephant brought about by George Bush's "Cold War" mentality that would have undermined both our relations with Russia, and our economic recovery. It will certainly not be missed! Nikos Retsos, retired professor
Dropping the defense of Eastern Europe is not rational. Obama's Naivete continues to astonish me. Obama has now bowed to Putin’s demands and sends a dangerous signal of irresoluteness and weakness. Eastern Europe went out on a limb to stand with the United States, and in return Obama has pulled the rug right out from under them and in the process signal to our enemies our weakness in the face of duress.
George W. Bush established a special relationship with Eastern Europe. After all, these are countries that emerged from the yoke of Communism and struggled to establish new market-based economies that avoided the errors of their Western socialist neighbors. And these countries again and again demonstrated their pro-American bona fides. The missile shield was intended as a check against Russian aggression and a symbol of their robust relationship with the U.S. Weakness and the betrayal of our allies do not ameliorate tensions with our adversaries.
Lastly, the patriot defense system has had a lot of success shooting down missiles. But the Patriot is not the only anti missile system under development. The world is not mass producing tanks, but the world is mass producing missiles, especially missiles outfitted with WMD capabilities. Missile defense is an inexpensive counter to the threat posed by countries developing this missile capability and an effective deterence to rogue nations who may employ these weapon systems.
Unless Obama wanted to give
Unless Obama wanted to give another trillion dollars stimulus to well-connected defense contractors for the Defense Shield, and bust the federal deficit while their executives would have gotten billion dollar bonuses,
the choice is definitely a rational one. And some of those funds can be allocated for his Health-care Reform that will benefit 40 millions of uninsured - not just the fat cats of the Military and Industrial Complex that shower Washington politicians with fat political contributions for more defense allocations. Forget about the "peaceful overthrow of the Medvedev-Putin duo" in Larry Marsh's tirade. Producer Michael Moore, on his just released documentary film about "capitalism," says that the top 1% of the American rich controls 95% of out Gross Domestic Product. We need "a peaceful overthrow of the wasteful and budget busting star wars plans here," and busting George Bush's idiotic Defense Missile Shield in Europe is a wise federal budget deficit saver of immense economic value.
Then the reality of Russia is there, and that reality is "we cannot kick around Russia like we do with states
that cannot defend themselves." And those who believe that the scrapping of the U.S. Missile Shield in Europe will coax Russia to help the U.S. and Israel with Iran are just fooling themselves. Russia has big commercial interests in Iran, but, more importantly, Russia will not betray Iran on behalf of the U.S. and Israel, and thus create a hostile Iranian state on its south borders. Russia has enough problems with Georgia, Ukraine, and some European states which toe the U.S. foreign policy, and is not going to sell out its own interests as a "thank you" gesture to the U.S. After all, Russia has the proximity advantage, and the mobile missiles that could have targeted the Defense Missile facilities, and have destroyed them -if its security was threatened. Russian generals were quite blunt about such a Russian response. And our Patriot missile interceptors have proved during repeated use by Israelis that they are just budget busters, but totally ineffective as missile busters!
The Epilogue of the European Missile Shield Program? A white elephant brought about by George Bush's "Cold War" mentality that would have undermined both our relations with Russia, and our economic recovery. It will certainly not be missed! Nikos Retsos, retired professor
Improved foreign relations are in sight.
This is a single step in the right direction and should signal the withdrawal of all American troops from foreign bases. There are no good reasons to maintain troops in countries which were defeated 65 years ago.
I am a firm believer in the "Fortress America" concept. Bases should be fortified along the American borders. The money wasted on foreign graft and corruption, can and should be used more effectively here at home. We should exercize increased vigilance over immigration and those who are not legally on our soil. Those who represent even the most remote threat to our safety should be deported at once.
George Washington left office with these important words: 'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances, with any portion of the foreign world. The world has certainly changed sicne Washington uttered those words, but they still have a ring of truth and wisdom.
I expected
the author to end with "click your heals three times" and think of the perfect world. Poof, it will happen. It's a classic naive approach to the world, oh everyone will do what's right. Except in our own country where the government wants to control every aspect of the peoples lives. Which the author seems to indicate is bad.
Marsh doesn't know what he is talking about
He claims that the shield was part of a Cold War strategy directed at Russia, and served as a distraction from the threat posed by Iran. The shield was always about countering the threat posed by Iran, as noted today in the NYT:
"Administration officials said the Bush missile defense architecture was better designed to counter potential long-range missiles by Iran, but recent tests and intelligence have indicated that Tehran is moving more rapidly toward developing short- and medium-range missiles. Mr. Obama’s advisers said their reconfigured system would be more aimed at that threat by stationing interceptor missiles closer to Iran."
Now Let's Bring European Based Troops Home...
Now that the big 0, the messiah, has dropped the missle shield, we OBVIOUSLY no longer need troops stationed there either. So, what is this timetable big 0???
Europe/NATO have chosen the pacifist route, I hope America never bails their butts out again!