Russian Update

Obama is still trying to surrender to Russia:

Days after the November election Russia threatened to deploy short-range missiles near Poland and the Czech Republic if the US did not scrap missile defense system agreements with the two allies ...

Russia will deploy short-range missiles near Poland to counter U.S. military plans in Eastern Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev warned Wednesday, setting a combative tone that clashed with global goodwill over Barack Obama's election -AP.

Today the Obama Administration scrapped the missile defense agreements with US allies Poland and the Czech Republic.
Ria Novosti reported:

Washington has told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran's nuclear program would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources.

U.S. President Barack Obama made the proposal on Iran in a letter to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, Kommersant said, referring to unidentified U.S. officials.

Iran's controversial nuclear program was cited by the U.S. as one of the reasons behind its plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic. The missile shield has been strongly opposed by Russia, which views it as a threat to its national security. The dispute has strained relations between the former Cold War rivals, already tense over a host of other differences.

The leaders have exchanged letters and had a telephone conversation since Obama was sworn into office in January, Kommersant said. The first high-level Russia-U.S. meeting will take place later this week, when Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva.

I guess this is an example of what we can expect from that 'tough diplomacy' of the Obama administration. Ace of Spades comments:

Um, among other problems:

1) Iran wants its nukes as pretty much its highest national priority and "diplomacy" in such a context is entirely futile. It's like someone offering Israelis some really nice water-processing plants if only they'll give up on the state of Israel.

2) Because Obama is determined to let Iran have its nukes, it will have its nukes, and hence he just gave away a critical part of defending against its nukes.

And remember, if Iran doesn't respond to Obama's tough diplomacy, they'll face some even more tough diplomacy from him.

Some other problems:

(1) Abandoning missile defense for Europe will change long-standing U.S. policy toward NATO which held that the European and North American members of the alliance should have the same defense capability; i.e., Poland, Germany, and Britain should have the same defense shield as the United States and Canada. Does Obama wish to send the message that we sell out allies for diplomatic concessions? Perhaps that's what counts as progressive nowadays.

(2) Russia has already responded by offering to assist Iran increase its gasoline exports; i.e., make itself less vulnerable to financial pressure. “Nothing is worse than the tendency among many activist-journalists, for example at the Associated Press, now to only report half the story.”

This would be a major problem, except that Russia said no thanks:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that it was "not productive" to link talks over a US missile defense system in Europe with Iran's suspected nuclear program as proposed by Washington.

Well, DUH!!!

This whole thing shows yet again the naivete and dangerous incompetence of Barack Obama when it comes to foreign policy. He simply doesn't have a clue what he's doing, or he wouldn't have even thought of offering to dismantle our allies' missile defense system for an outcome that our enemies refuse to accept.

Hope and change, everyone. Hope and change.

There's my two cents.