Ok, this is starting to get pretty scary.
For half of my life, we lived in fear of the Soviet Union and the MAD doctrine (Mutually Assured Destruction). The threat of Soviet nuclear attack was a very real worry for all Americans except the few hippies who were lingering around. With the collapse of the Soviet Union brought on by the failure of communism and the leadership of President Reagan, a new era seemed to have dawned on the world. We had plenty of security issues, but the danger that the Soviets would invade Western Europe and spark a war ending in a nuclear exchange seemed a thing of the past.
For half of my life, we lived in fear of the Soviet Union and the MAD doctrine (Mutually Assured Destruction). The threat of Soviet nuclear attack was a very real worry for all Americans except the few hippies who were lingering around. With the collapse of the Soviet Union brought on by the failure of communism and the leadership of President Reagan, a new era seemed to have dawned on the world. We had plenty of security issues, but the danger that the Soviets would invade Western Europe and spark a war ending in a nuclear exchange seemed a thing of the past.
But now the Russian bear, emboldened by it's abundant natural resources and restless to reestablish it's imperial designs, is back. What started as sabre rattling has escalated into a military incursion into the sovereign state, and U.S. ally, Georgia. Despite pressure from the European Union and strong condemnation from the U.S. and the rest of the world, Russia's troops remain in South Ossetia and show no signs of leaving as promised. Of course no one shows any inclination to do anything about it. Kicking Iraq out of Kuwait is one thing. Tangling with Russia and her ICBMs is another issue. No doubt in a slugging match, the U.S. would prevail but the cost would be horrific.
Now, in a further escalation, the Russians are making what amounts to overt threats of military action directed at the U.S. in response to the agreement to house missile defense bases in Poland.
Russia Threatens Military Response if U.S., Poland Follow Through With Missile Defense Deal
MOSCOW — The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia — a move followed swiftly by a new warning from Moscow of a possible military response.
For many Poles — whose country has been a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan — the accord represented what they believed would be a guarantee of safety for themselves in the face of a newly assertive Russia.
Negotiators sealed the deal last week against a backdrop of Russian military action in Georgia, a former Soviet republic turned U.S. ally, that has worried former Soviet satellites across eastern Europe. It prompted Moscow's sharpest rhetoric yet over the system, which it contends is aimed at Russia despite Washington's insistence the site is purely defensive.
After Wednesday's signing, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed any suggestion the 10 missile defense interceptors — which Washington says are intended to defend Europe and the U.S. from the possible threat of long-distance missiles from Iran — represent a threat to Russia.
She denounced an earlier threat from a Russian general to target NATO member Poland, possibly even with nuclear weapons, for accepting the facility.
Such comments "border on the bizarre, frankly," Rice told reporters in Warsaw. "The Russians are losing their credibility," she said, adding that Moscow would pay a price for its actions in Georgia, though she did not specify how.
"It's also the case that when you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988," Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats around."
Hours after the signing, Russia's Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow's response would go beyond diplomacy. The system to be based in Poland lacks "any target other than Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles," it said in a statement, contending the U.S. system "will be broadened and modernized."
"In this case Russia will be forced to react, and not only through diplomatic" channels, it said without elaborating.
If there was ever a reason to reject the nuanced, inexperienced foreign policy of a novice like Barack Obama and turn to a commander in chief who has served in the Armed Forces and understands geopolitical issues, it is now. Russia has enormous natural resources, a strong military base and a history of military aggression. We need a President who understands the cost of war but is not afraid to use forceful means. The Soviet Union would never have collapsed under a Carter or Mondale presidency. Aggressor nations like Russia and Iran only respect the mailed fist, not the limp wrist.
Now, in a further escalation, the Russians are making what amounts to overt threats of military action directed at the U.S. in response to the agreement to house missile defense bases in Poland.
Russia Threatens Military Response if U.S., Poland Follow Through With Missile Defense Deal
MOSCOW — The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia — a move followed swiftly by a new warning from Moscow of a possible military response.
For many Poles — whose country has been a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan — the accord represented what they believed would be a guarantee of safety for themselves in the face of a newly assertive Russia.
Negotiators sealed the deal last week against a backdrop of Russian military action in Georgia, a former Soviet republic turned U.S. ally, that has worried former Soviet satellites across eastern Europe. It prompted Moscow's sharpest rhetoric yet over the system, which it contends is aimed at Russia despite Washington's insistence the site is purely defensive.
After Wednesday's signing, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed any suggestion the 10 missile defense interceptors — which Washington says are intended to defend Europe and the U.S. from the possible threat of long-distance missiles from Iran — represent a threat to Russia.
She denounced an earlier threat from a Russian general to target NATO member Poland, possibly even with nuclear weapons, for accepting the facility.
Such comments "border on the bizarre, frankly," Rice told reporters in Warsaw. "The Russians are losing their credibility," she said, adding that Moscow would pay a price for its actions in Georgia, though she did not specify how.
"It's also the case that when you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988," Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats around."
Hours after the signing, Russia's Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow's response would go beyond diplomacy. The system to be based in Poland lacks "any target other than Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles," it said in a statement, contending the U.S. system "will be broadened and modernized."
"In this case Russia will be forced to react, and not only through diplomatic" channels, it said without elaborating.
If there was ever a reason to reject the nuanced, inexperienced foreign policy of a novice like Barack Obama and turn to a commander in chief who has served in the Armed Forces and understands geopolitical issues, it is now. Russia has enormous natural resources, a strong military base and a history of military aggression. We need a President who understands the cost of war but is not afraid to use forceful means. The Soviet Union would never have collapsed under a Carter or Mondale presidency. Aggressor nations like Russia and Iran only respect the mailed fist, not the limp wrist.
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