Image from Raytheon.Barack Obama Throws US Missile Shield
Into Doubt -- The Telegraph
Into Doubt -- The Telegraph
The construction of a US missile shield in Europe has been thrown into doubt after Poland said that President-Elect Barack Obama had failed to commit himself to the project.
Officials in Warsaw said that after a conversation between President Lech Kaczynski and Mr Obama, they believe that the chances of the controversial project going ahead now stood at no more than "over 50 per cent".
Radek Sikorski, the foreign minister, also conceded that the worsening state of the American economy might force the president elect to ditch, or at least delay the programme, in favour of domestic priorities.
Poland and the US committed themselves to the project on paper in August in the wake of Russia's military intervention in Georgia. A cornerstone of the of the defence strategy of President George W. Bush and designed to protect the West from attack by "rogue states" such as Iran, the shield would see Poland host ten interceptor missiles and the Czech Republic host the radar component of a system.
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My Comment: I guess President-elect Obama has made it his goal to dismantle the cornerstone of President Bush's defense strategy when it comes to rogue states such as Iran. With no alternative (except to talk to them) is put in place, the U.S. will be limiting and marginalizing their role and impact in any discussion with our allies in tackling these issues and rogue countries.