From an article in the Wall Street Journal:
The White House will shelve Bush administration plans to build a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move likely to cheer Moscow and roil the security debate in Europe.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Thursday that the plan was changed to better protect U.S. forces and allies in Europe from Iranian missile attacks.
The U.S. based its decision on a determination that Iran’s long-range missile program hasn’t progressed as rapidly as previously estimated, reducing the threat to the continental U.S. and major European capitals, according to current and former U.S. officials.
Subtext to those plucky pro-US nations in eastern Europe: “So long, suckers.”
Update: The Guardian reports:
The US decision will cheer many in government in western Europe who believed the scheme was an unnecessary provocation to the Russians. But today the Czech Republic and Poland expressed disappointment at the White House’s decision to reverse track after six years of difficult negotiations. Senior sources in Warsaw and Prague said they would insist on the Americans honouring pledges they made to the Nato allies in return for agreeing last year to the plan for missile defence deployments.
Alexandr Vondra, a former Czech deputy prime minister and ambassador to Washington intimately involved in the negotiations with the Americans, said he was surprised. “This is a U-turn in US policy,” he said. “But first we expect the US to honour its commitments. If they don’t they may have problems generating support for Afghanistan and on other things.”
As they say, it sounds like some people missed a good opportunity to shut up!
Comment by Lickmuffin — September 17, 2009 @ 09:28
More on this from the NYT.
I’m wondering about this snippet…
Now, I believe that Obama is evil. Do not doubt me on that. But has the hardware for Poland and the Czech Republic been cancelled to throw these countries to the wolves? Or has it been cancelled because the US will be deploying another system elsewhere?
I agree that the timing of the announcement was insensitive, if not downright insulting. But what of this new plan that seems to replace the Polish and Czech deployment? This is the first I’ve read of it.
Comment by Lickmuffin — September 21, 2009 @ 13:38
[…] up from last week’s post on cancelling ABM systems for Poland and the Czech Republic, Jon sent the following […]
Pingback by More on the ABM decision « Quotulatiousness — September 22, 2009 @ 11:50