Hey, World: Obama's America Will Not Help You (Even If You're An Ally)

This is a shocking foreign policy blunder (h/t Ace of Spades):

According to reliable sources, Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration. This represents a complete capitulation to Russia's Vladimir Putin, who had demanded that the proposed deployments be halted as a price for improved relations. Ironically, the Obama administration, which is appeasing Russia in the hopes that Moscow will help put pressure on Iran, has made this mammoth concession just a few days after Moscow declared that it had no intention of supporting sanctions against Iran.

The consequences of this action in Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine and in other countries that feel vulnerable to Russian power, will be disastrous. It is a major American retreat in the face of Russian bullying. And we will get absolutely nothing for it.

Update: Gary Schmitt has more details:

Four senior Obama officials, including Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Ellen Tauscher and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security "Sandy" Vershbow, are apparently in the air right now on their way to Poland. Why? If the Washington hot rumor mill is right, to deliver the news to the Poles and then the Czechs that the administration has decided not to go forward with a missile defense system for Europe and the United States against the budding missile threat from Iran.

It looks like not only have we hit the reset button when it comes to Russia, but now with our friends in Central Europe—except this time, it's a big fat "no thank you" for your willingness to stick your neck out to protect allies.

I don't mean shocking as in surprising - he promised to do exactly this sort of thing repeatedly during his campaign.  I mean shocking as in a stunningly stupid move.

First off, it's a clear capitulation to Russia, which has malevolent designs on all of its former Soviet satellite nations (remember their previous attack on Georgia and their economic warfare on Ukraine?), and we apparently don't get anything in return, so this isn't even a lame compromise.  It's a loss, pure and simple.  Second, it's a concrete affirmation of the weakness of Obama -- or, maybe it's a lack of foreign policy skill...or both -- to give in to Russia, and that sort of weakness will only breed contempt and aggression from our enemies, which means it has suddenly become more dangerous to be an American.

Here's some additional analysis of the situation:

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration is justifying its decision on their determination that Iran's long-range missile program hasn't progressed as rapidly as previously estimated. This despite the facts that:

• On February 2nd, Iran successfully launched a satellite into orbit using a rocket with technology similar to that used in a long-range ballistic missile.
• On May 20th, Iran test-fired a 1200-mile solid-fueled two-stage ballistic missile.
• On July 15th, Germany's foreign intelligence service, BND, announced that Iran will be able to produce and test a nuclear weapon within six months. BND also stated that it has "no doubt" that Iran's missile program is aimed solely at the production of nuclear warheads.
• On August 3rd, The Times of London reported that Western intelligence sources concluded that Iran has not only perfected the technology to build and detonate a nuclear weapon, could assemble a weapon in just six months, and could deliver the weapon on Iran's Shebab-3 ballistic missile.
• Just yesterday French President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "It is a certainty to all of our secret services. Iran is working today on a nuclear [weapons] program."

The only country other than Iran that is happy with President Obama's decision is Russia. State Duma foreign affairs committee head Konstantin Kosachev told the Associated Press: "The U.S. president's decision is a well-thought (out) and systematic one. Now we can talk about restoration of (the) strategic partnership between Russia and the United States." But, in fact, the missile defense capitulation is just one in a long line of Obama surrenders to Russia. Heritage fellow Ariel Cohen explains from Moscow:

All these concessions the Russians pocketed, smiled, and moved on to new demands: European security reconfiguration; additional global reserve currency which would weaken the dollar; and a strong push-back on sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program. …. While the Russians clearly like the better atmospherics, and somewhat toned down the shrill anti-American rhetoric, the Iranians and the Venezuelans, who also received Obama's "stretched hand" and, in case of Hugo Chavez, a pat on the back, are refusing to play ball. They, like their friends in Moscow, are also pocketing concessions while continuing the mischief.

The decision to abandon the "third site" deployment of 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic violates President Obama's pledge to support missile defense that is "pragmatic and cost-effective." Ground based missile defense is effective, affordable, and available now. According to the Congressional Budget Office, alternatives to the third site do not provide a comparable level of defense. The CBO concluded that the estimated $9-14 billion 20-year cost of the third site was half of the estimated costs of a sea-based alternative. Abandoning our best missile defense option in Europe only encourages Iran to speed up their ballistic missile program so that they can get their threat in place before a European missile defense system is available.

The Poles and the Czechs know what it means to live under the boot of Russian domination. The third-site issue is of huge symbolic importance to both nations, and if Moscow emerges the victor, with an effective veto over U.S. policy in Europe, it would represent a massive surrender of American strategic influence and a betrayal of two of its closest friends in the region.

The bottom line here is that Barack Obama is sending a clear signal to the world that America will not help its allies when crunch time comes.  Like it or not, America is the world's lone superpower -- though with another 3+ years of Obama in charge, that could very well change -- and we are the ones who hold back the aggression and violent intentions of rogue states like Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  Smaller nations lack our wealth, our military power, and technological development, so they depend on us to protect them. With this move, Obama is saying that protection is no longer available.  Our allies will be forced to turn to others or risk being overrun by their enemies, and it all ends up with a whole lot of bloodshed and destruction that could have been avoided, as well as a complete loss of American global leadership.  Is it any wonder Israel is preparing to go it alone against Iran?

Here's another thought to consider.  What happens when we get attacked again?  It is almost inevitable that terrorists will achieve success at some point again, and it is likely it will be something far more devastating than the 9/11 attacks, possibly a nuclear detonation or EMP strike.  If we have betrayed all of our allies and refused to help them in their time of need, why should they bother to help us when that kind of devastation is unleashed on America?

They won't.

The greatest danger facing America is Barack Obama.

There's my two cents.