Obama Scraps Bush’s Missile Plan In Europe

The decision was announced today, following a review earlier this year of plans made by the Bush administration to build a radar station in the Czech Republic and to install 10 interceptor missiles in Poland.

Czech prime minister Jan Fischer said he received a direct call from President Obama to inform him that the shield would not go into place in the Czech Republic, and that Poland had been given the same message.

“This new approach will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems and offer greater defenses against the threat of missile attacks than the 2007 European missile defense program. Our clear and consistent focus has been the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile program and that continues to be our focus and basis of the program we are announcing today,” said President Obama in a brief statement.

According to new intelligence reports from the Pentagon, Iran is currently focused on developing short and medium range missiles as opposed to long range ones.

President Obama’s decision was promptly criticized in Poland and the Czech Republic.

“The US decision to drop the shield is not good news for the Czech Republic. This put us in a position wherein we are not firmly anchored in terms of partnership, security and alliance,” said former prime minister Mirek Topolanek in a radio interview.

However, the decision to scrap the shield was applauded in Russia. Bush’s plan had created enormous tensions between Moscow and Washington, and was viewed as a direct threat by the Russians.

“The Obama administration is starting to understand us. Russia has been waiting for this for a long time,” said Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

Bush’s plan was indeed the biggest stumbling block in the diplomatic relations between the US and Russia. Moscow never accepted the US explanation that the shield was against Iran, and always believed it was targeting Russia instead.

This move by the Obama administration is very pragmatic in essence. The Bush shield system didn’t bring a strategic advantage for the US, and had for only effect to provoke the Russians. Hopefully,The Obama administration’s decision will push Russia into helping with two urgent problems; by joining the efforts of the US and the EU to put pressure on Iran to stop their nuclear program; and by giving US troops an easier access to Afghanistan.