US to scrap plans for missile shield in Europe: WSJ

US to scrap plans for missile shield in Europe: WSJ

uk.news.yahoo.com

The United States plans to shelve plans for a missile-defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday

It is a move "likely to cheer Moscow and roil the security debate in Europe," the report said.

"The US will base its decision on a determination that Iran's long-range missile program has not progressed as rapidly as previously estimated, reducing the threat to the continental US and major European capitals," the report said, citing unnamed current and former US officials.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The entire selling point of this system was to defend against an iranian missile lanuch to attack europe - which as has been shown is complete crock - the missiles situated over 1000 miles from the ultimate maximum range (which falls into the sea south of greece anyway) of any iranian system is not believeable - but citing them 300 miles from a russian ICBM field was purely accidental.


common sense prevails once more.

uk.news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Hooray for that! I love President Obama...When i was in the Czec republic a couple of years ago, the poor Czec ppl looked so run down. Prague was full of American tourists and they even had the cheek to have their stars and stripes flag flying, i was told it was the municiple council building on the hill at the top of Prague.
I was fuming!

I don't believe the missile thingy was due to Iran.

Let's face it, the USA and Russia have history, hence why Russia got worried when they found out about the missile thingy.

I think the USA were trying to scare Russia into military action, so they could eventually take over the country, as a start to the American Empire.

Just my opinion.

We just traded our missiles in europe, for backing against Iran.
Its obvious!

reply to post by Harlequin


You lose the threat of missile attack (and ability to scare the poo out of the West )if they know they have an anti missile barrier protecting them.

Also if any nation attempts to develop a nuclear weapon that can be delivered by a reliable long range missile, the US will destroy their facilities anyway.

And like someone mentioned earlier, if there is a missile barrier n Europe, it will be harder to gain support for an attack on Iran, this is actually a worrying development.

6 months, I give it 6 months and the ordnance will be falling on Iran.

[edit on 17-9-2009 by kiwifoot]

I honestly didn't think Obama would pull the plug on this plan. Clearly, Putin has more authority and power than Obama. This is merely more political posturing that makes Obama look weak again. Russia never liked this idea from day one.

I just hope that we got something in return for pulling the plug. Perhaps Russian support when TSHTF in Iran. Doubtful. Maybe Obama got a pony ride and a fishing lesson at Putin's ranch.

Well, I know some people are going to be happy. Americans getting out of the EU, leaving some countries open, say Georgia.

And for those that think this'll bring sharper sanctions against Iran, remember this a few months from now when Israel has to go it alone against Iran when america has shown itself to be the weak sister of the world and does nothing.

Obama = Carter.

There are always two sides to a story and always an ulterior motive to a plan.

Some may see this as a good move and a positive development because the tension level between two world powers was just lowered. But the truth is this was nothing more than a ploy to get a green light - from Russia at least - for an attack on Iran, should it ever occur.

There's no doubt in my mind that an agreement was put in place for the United States to scrap it's missile shield in exchange for Russian non-intervention into an attack on Iran when Netanyahu visited Moscow. The timing between that visit and this announcement is too coincidental for me.

In all honesty, I think the missile shield was for nothing but show. It was a staged project by the elites with a pre-planned failure. The missile shield, in my opinion, was never meant to become a reality. It's main purpose was to increase arms production, justify continued Middle Eastern presence, and spark a war between Georgia and Russia which was essentially a clash between NATO and Russia.

This move is more of a step towards war than peace.

It doesn't matter what was promised to us in return. Russia will never pony up. Putin HATES the U.S. and has since his KGB days. Even if we went to war with Iran with Russia at our backs Putin would still be funding and arming the Iranians and he wouldn't supply one damn troop. Obama has truly shown his naivete' in this matter. Putin is playing this president like a fiddle.

reply to post by NovusOrdoMundi

Some may see this as a good move and a positive development because the tension level between two world powers was just lowered. But the truth is this was nothing more than a ploy to get a green light - from Russia at least - for an attack on Iran, should it ever occur.

I believe you're right on target here.

Nothing to get excited about. I don't really see anything positive coming out from this.

US backing away from the missile shield plan ... hmmm

This is one of those 'read behind the headlines' articles.

Let's see:

SEP 9: Kremlin official confirms PM's secret visit

SEP 10: Supposedly, Israel test secret weapon

SEP 11: Putin warns against Iran attack

SEP 12: [For you to fill in the blank]

SEP 13: [For you to fill in the blank]

SEP 14: www.reuters.com...] Netanyahu comments signal possible attack

SEP 15: Pro_Israel group urges president Obama to announce that a strike on Iran is likely

SEP 16: Russian president hints possible U-TURN

SEP 16: Sarkozy accuses Iran of hidding nuclear weapons

SEP 16: US scraps missile defense shield plan

SEP 16: 'We may have to attack Iran by Dec"

But wait, there is more ... ahhh ?

SEP 17: Israel Defense Chief: Iran not an existencial threat ¿?

[edit on 17-9-2009 by joscarfas]

Originally posted by happinness
Hooray for that! I love President Obama...When i was in the Czec republic a couple of years ago, the poor Czec ppl looked so run down. Prague was full of American tourists and they even had the cheek to have their stars and stripes flag flying, i was told it was the municiple council building on the hill at the top of Prague.
I was fuming!

Yep me too... even though many conservatives stateside see this as a "surrender" NATO calls it a victory!

reply to post by HunkaHunka


I hate to say it, but NATO leadership is based off of european military leadership. Anytime they don't have to get off thier asses it is a victory. I AM NOT DISPARAGING THE NATO TROOPS! Just the leadership. America pushed for the european nations to take the lead in NATO in the 80's because at the time if war broke out it was going to happen in Europe and they knew the terrain and continental assets.

I agree with Agit8dChop.

trading the shield for an attack on Iran, Russia has probably agreed to turn a blind eye to a limited strike.


very disturbing news the pieces are all slotting together, anyone would think that this has all been planned!!

reply to post by happinness


What does the oppression of the Czech's have to do with the US? How did we "run down" those people?

reply to post by sickofitall2012



[edit on 17-9-2009 by djvexd]

[edit on 17-9-2009 by djvexd]

I'll start by mentioning that I live in Prague and that I've been here for more than 16 years. So my take on this is perhaps a bit more personal.

While the Czech leadership has stated that they are not happy about this decision by the US Administration to scrap its plans for a missile defense shield, secretly they are probably relieved. The reason is simple: the majority of Czech citizens who give a damn or are politically aware have been against it from the outset. As to why that matters, there is an election due in the first half of next year, and the two major parties are split dead level in the opinion polls of potential voters, at 29.5% each. (The communist party is third, with 15.5%.) Not having the radar base as an issue of great contention will mean one less matter they have to argue for or against, and might pull votes away from the communist party, which has been against the radar base all along and organized rallies and petitions.

Regarding the communists, there is no doubt in my mind that they have benefited from a protest vote factor since the radar base became an issue. Obviously, this is not something the msm in the US and elsewhere has really mentioned but it is a fact that the communists' share of the vote has been rising. Now it might drop back again.

The Czech citizens' concerns have centered mainly on two factors. First, they understand that having a radar base on their soil (and the missile base in Poland) is provocative to Russia, and the Czechs have been wary of Russia for a long time -- with good and obvious reason.

Secondly, as the proposed radar base would have been run by US military personnel, they have been very uneasy about the prospect of having foreign troops based on their soil. True, there are US military involved in NATO exercises here from time to time, but that's different from having a permanent base of such a highly-strategic nature. Again, Czechs have had enough experience in the past of foreign soldiers in their lands. But don't get me wrong: this is not an anti-American stance on their part, it's just a degree of wariness due to previous events (involving Russians and before them, Nazi Germany). Czechs have been co-operating with US forces through NATO participation and very few have voiced any serious complaints about that. If they have, it's usually been due to anti-NATO sentiment rather than anti-Americanism per se.

Besides the above points, some people were also concerned about the possible health risks of a high-power radar system operating so close to some small towns. (There are a couple of towns within 3 to 5 km of the base's proposed location.) Reports that the US personnel would not be housed locally (near the radar) but instead in and around Prague, did nothing to assuage those fears.

Most Czech people I have spoken to have always been dubious of the whole idea anyway. They contend that it's very unlikely that Iran would launch missiles into the middle of Europe even if it had any capable of reaching that far (which it doesn't); surely it would go after some much closer targets first. After all -- as more than one observed to me -- if Iran ever tries a major missile attack on another country they'll only get one chance before there is serious retaliation... One retired soldier (a communications officer actually) also made the point that radar facilities are first-strike targets in the event of any attack -- and may even be taken out by saboteurs.

Personally, I'm glad that the radar base is not going ahead, because I spend a lot of free time in the area just around where it was to be built. But on the other hand, like many of you I am very concerned as to what might happen in the near future vis-a-vis Iran. Frankly it doesn't look good.

Regards,

Mike

Edited to fix typos.

[edit on 17/9/09 by JustMike]

Originally posted by sickofitall2012
reply to post by happinness

 

What does the oppression of the Czech's have to do with the US? How did we "run down" those people?

As happinness hasn't replied yet I hope you don't mind if I comment.

Not once in all the time that I have been living here (since 1993) has any Czech person ever said to me that they feel run down/oppressed by the USA. Not once. They do feel the burdens of the current economic situation, like many do around the world, but they recognize the difference between politics and people, and hold Americans and their country in high regard. Truly! (BTW, in case anyone wonders, I'm not an American. )

Regards,

Mike

Edit to add just for info: happinness said that Americans had the "cheek" to have their flag flying on a building on a hill overlooking the city of Prague and was told it was the Municipal Council building... Well, the Municipal House (Obecni Dum) to give it its formal name, is not on any hilltop. It's in Prague 1 (downtown), about three minutes' walk from Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti). I can assure you all that it doesn't have a US flag flying on it either!

The building on the hillside (not hilltop) with the US flag is the official residence for the US Ambassador. The actual US embassy is just down the road a short way.

So, not "cheek" on the part of any Americans, only a case of seriously bad misinformation being passed on to happinness. Maybe the informant was just kidding around. Czechs have a pretty warped sense of humor, which is one reason I like them

As for Prague being "full of American tourists" (as reported by happinness), that has not been something I've noticed for a few years. Sadly, their numbers have dropped dramatically since the USD really started to decline in value against the Czech crown. Even the number of visitors from the UK (like eg "happinness") is also down, but we are hopeful that things will improve.

Mike

[edit on 17/9/09 by JustMike]

I'm pleased to hear this but only because I feel safer in a bi or multi-polar world then one where any single nation has supreme power over the rest. I doubt Iran would attack the US or Europe. It's more than likely they just want their missiles for protection and barganing power. Of course there is always the possibility the missile system in Eastern Europe isn't needed because the US military has a better system planned or already built.

I'd like to thank you for one of the best laughs that I've had in quite a while. Let me see if I have this straight. Iran tries to develop a long range nuclear missile system and that's OK because they have a right to defend themselves. Never mind that the only use for nukes is as an offensive weapon. Then it isn't OK for the US to put a missile shield in Eastern Europe because a totally defensive system gets Russia's panties in a bunch. This is hilarious. Russia is in the position that the US was in back in the 70's. Go ahead you morons, sell Iran all of the weapons you want to. Just remember one thing. When Iran turns on you, and they will, you are already in range of their current systems.

As for Europe, I'm beginning to think that we should have left you all speaking German.

[edit on 17-9-2009 by JIMC5499]